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Lot Essay
Steles depicting the Eight Great Events of the Buddha’s Life were popular in Bihar during the Pala period (ca. 850 – 1150). However, examples made of this specific type of beige stone are rare. This type of sedimentary stone was known in the Bodhgaya region and this fine stele was mostly likely carved for a shrine in this area. Seven scenes surround the central Buddha figure. At his lower left, we see Buddha’s birth from the hip of his mother Queen Maya. The descent from Trayastrimsa heaven and the miracle at Sravasti are above, where the miraculous multiplication of his preaching self is depicted in minuscule on the petals of a lotus base. The top shows Buddha reclining in parinirvana. The other side of the stele depicts from the top the first teaching at Sarnath with miniature deer flanking the wheel appearing on the lotus petals. The scene is followed by the miracle of the monkey offering honey to the Buddha thereby gaining Enlightenment. A miniature monkey is visible on the lotus. The last scene depicts Buddha taming the elephant Nalagiri with a miniature elephant carved on its lotus base. The reverse is finely incised with the Buddhist ‘ye dharma’ creed in Siddhamatrika script.