NORTHEASTERN INDIA, PALA PERIOD, 11TH CENTURY

This finely carved stone stele illustrates the eight principal events in Buddha's life following a popular Pala period iconographic device. The narrative elements are reduced to iconic images that remain recognizable due to attributes or gestures. The large central image depicts Buddha after the triumph over Mara, touching the Earth as his witness. The remaining seven are arranged as follows, counter-clockwise from top: the death, parinirvana; the descent from the Trayatrimsa heaven; the first sermon at Sarnath, with two deer flanking the wheel; taming of the mad elephant Nalagiri; the monkey's gift of honey, holding a bowl; the miracle of Sravasti; and an unidentified scene. Curiously, the work is missing the important birth of the Buddha, and the order of the scenes is not consistent with the chronology of the Buddha's life.