Description

The medallion presents the story of Muga Pakkha Jataka, according to which the Bodhisattva was born as Temiya, the son of the king of Benaras. He took a vow of austerity and pretended to be deaf and dumb and a cripple and all attempts to test his sensibility failed. After sixteen years, the king decided to get rid of him and asked his charioteer to remove the prince in a chariot to an unknown place and bury him there alive. The charioteer carried him away and began to dig a pit for his burial. At that very moment Temiya’s vow of silence ended and he began to talk to the charioteer. He eventually became an ascetic. The relief is a fine example of the narrative pattern in Indian art. On the left, the king is seated in a pavilion with the child in his lap. The charioteer, who has brought the Prince in a chariot drawn by four horses is seen at the extreme right digging a pit, while the Prince with folded hands, is in conversation with the charioteer. At the top, the Prince in ascetic habit is seated in a grove indicated by two trees flanking him. The inscription reads: ‘mugapakhiya jataka’ (the episode of the Dumb Being).