A gray schist stupa base with four scenes from the life of Buddha

In the Buddhist period of Gandhara, small stupas in schist and bronze were used to inter religious relics housed within the various monasteries of the region, and the life stories of the Buddha were often depicted in narrative relief. The present example includes four of the more important stories in the Buddha's life, but is unusual in its presentation of the sermon at the deer park at Sarnath. In many examples, the Buddha is shown in a preaching gesture surrounded by his disciples and with one or two deer to denote the location; in others, the triratna, or "Three Jewels," representing the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha (monkhood), were used as an aniconic depiction of the scene. The present work includes both the Buddha and his disciples, as well as the triratna symbol. Such blending of religious ideas is characteristic of the Gandharan period and indicates the experimentation practiced by the artisans of the region.