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1739,

BODHISATTVA SlDDHABTHA, pp. 9, 11, 27, 69* 77, 101.

HANDBOOK
TO THE

Sculptures

in

the

Peshawar Museum
BY

H. HARGREAVES,
Superintendent, Archaeological Survey of India, Frontier Gircler

and Honorary Curator, Peshawar Museum*

REVISED EDITIONCALCUTTA: GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
BRANCHPUBLICATIONCENTRAL
1930

To
D.

BRAINERD
"

These

to

since he held

SPOONER,

his

memorythem dear."PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION
So great was the demand for Dr. Spooner's Hand*
book to the Sculptures in the Peshawar Museum that theedition published in 1909 was out of print in 1918.

A re-issue of the original handbook would not, how.
ever, have met the needs

ingof visitors, for in the interven-

had doubled in number.
years the sculptures

More-over, new legendary scenes required explanation and,in the light of increasing knowledge, reliefs of which the

purport was onceable.

doubttul had become readily recogniz-

A revised edition was, therefore, called for one

which should deal with the enlarged collection and, atthe same time, embody the results of later discoveries
in this field of Buddhist art.

and achapter
Although the matter is largely new,
Art
of
and
the
on
added
Gandhara,
has been
History
the general arrangement of the first edition has been preserved and it is hoped that this volume will, like its previsitors to the Museum with a handbook
decessor,

providewhile avoiding
explanatory of the sculpturesaofdetails
catalogue.
the excessive

sufficiently

Without the whole-hearted co-operation of M. Dilawar
Khan, the former Custodian and present Curator of thePeshawar Museum, the completion of the Handbook,after my transfer from Peshawar, would have been impossible and for this and assistance in countless directions
I am his most grateful debtor.

U

PREFACE.

My obligations to previous writers on this subject arethose enumerated in the Bibliography and the Preface
to the First Edition, but to the list of these names I would

add that of the late Dr. Spooner himself, the first Curatorof the Peshawar Museum, to whose memory this volume
is dedicated as a debt ofgratitude by his friend, colleague

and successor.
H. HARGREAVES.

PESHAWAR,
December 30, 1928.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST HANDBOOKTHIS Handbook

has been written entirely for theuse of residents in Peshawar and other visitors to thePeshawar Museum. It does not claim to be a catalogueof the sculptures, but is merely a popular guide-bookthat shall explain the sculptures to those on the spot
and, it is hoped, make them more interesting. Controversial matters have not been altogether excluded, for
it has been felt thatpossibly visitors would like to know
the nature of the problems involved in the study of thisschool of art
but tedious archaeological arguments
have been avoided, and the specialist will observe thatsuch new theories as are advanced here and there are
merely stated rather than developed. The author hopes,
however, that all controversial points have been duly;

indicated as such.

A word as to the arrangement of the sculptures may
Each of the larger collections has been
sub-divided into groups according to subjects, and thesebe appropriate.

groups arranged in the cases in systematic sequence.
All the sculptures in the Museum, furthermore, havebeen numbered consecutively, beginning in the righthand gallery upstairs. It is hoped that this classification will facilitate the study of the collections.

My great obligations to M. Foucher, the well-known
French archaeologist, call for cordial acknowledgment.
"
His brilliant work,
L'Art Greco-Bouddhique du Gandhara", has been constantly referred to, while the
iii

IV

PREFACED

second part of the Introduction is little more than a comI am also indebted to thepilation from his pages.
"
The
Reverend Samuel Beal, whose interesting work,
Romantic Legend of Sakya Buddha ", has been mostthe interpretation of new sculptures; andofparticularly to Mr. Marshall, the Director General
Archeology in India, who has very kindly consented tohelpfulinedit this Handbook for me.

D. B.

PESHAWAR,
November 11, 1909.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER,L

PAGE.

History and Art of Gandhiira

1

II.

Introduction to the Buddha Legend

10

III.

The Sculptures

48

APPENDIX.

EXCAVATIONS IN GANDHARA

BIBLIOGRAPHY

109
Ill

LIST OF PLATES
PLATE
1.

Bodhisattva

2.

(a)

Miracle of Sravasti.

(No. 1527.)(6)

Yakshas and garland.

(No. 508.)

Siddhartha.

(No.

3.

Ascetic Buddha.

4.

(a)

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

(5)

Four-armed HaritL

1739.)

Frontispiece.

(No. 799).

(No.

(c) Bodhisattva Maitreya.

(No. 200.)

1773.)(No. 1866.)

5.

(a)

Submission of the Naga Apalala.

(6)

gyama

6.

The Temptation
First Sermon

B.

Unidentified Scene0.

Devadatta's Assassins

D.l

Mahaparinirvana

E.J

Jataka.

(No.

(No. 28 L.).

1891).

A

and Panchika.

No. 1844.

7.

Haritl8.

Icthyocentaur. (No. 14 L.).
of standing figures.
Frieze(6)(No. 24 L.).
(c) Pipal leaves with tendrils.
(No. 15 L.).

9.

(No. 1430.)
femaleshrine.
miniature(6) Koyal(No. 1427,)
bearing

10.

(No.

241).

(a)

(a)

Buddha with crystal urqa.

Kanishka Eelic Casket.

vii

Handbook

to

the

Peshawar

Sculptures

in

the

Museum.

CHAPTER I*HISTORY AND ART OF GANDHAKA.
HISTORY.
The greater part of the sculptures in the Peshawar

Museum have been recovered in excavations l carried out
by officers of the Archaeological Survey of India in thePeshawar valley, 2 a region known anciently as Gandhara.
From the 6th century B.C. Gandhara formed part of theAchsemenian Empire having been conquered in the reign
In the Bahistan inscription of Darius (c. 516
theGandharians
B.C.)
appear among the subject people
and distinct from the Indians, the people of the Indusof Darius, butvalley, referred to in another inscription
little is really known of the history of Gandhara until
Alexander the Great overthrew the last Achaemenian
king and succeeded to his dominions.
of Cyrus.

When in the cold weather of 327-326 B.C. the forces of
the Great entered the Peshawar Valley
Gandhara was under the rule of a raja named by the
Greeks, Astes, whose capital was Pushkaravati, themodern Charsada, 3 on the Kabul river. Alexander*

Alexander1

A complete list of these excavations with bibliographical references is givenin the Appendix.

2 The
remaining sculptures have reached the Museum from various sources
bat all emanate from the same region or the adjoining hill country.
8 For an account of excavations at Charsada in 1903,
c/. A. S. /., W02-3,
and ior the antiquities recovered see Cases 25-29 and adjacent Table Cases in theupper left gal&ry of the Museum,SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

2

constituted the lower Kabul Valley and the recently
a special satrapy under a governor,
hills
Nicanor, and in the capital Pushkaravati left a Macedonian
garrison under an officer named Philip. With Alexander's
death at Babylon in 323 B.C. effective Macedonian ruleceased in India and by 317 B.C. the last Greek garrison
had departed. Thus Greek rule in Gandhara lasted lessthan ten years and its effects were short-lived.

conquered

Alexander's death was followed by a long struggle
between his generals. The eastern portion of the empire,
which in theory included the Indian dominions, fell
eventually to Seleucus Nicator who, in 312 B.C., founded
the dynasty known as the Seleucid kings of Syria. But
when Seleucus, emulating Alexander, attempted to invade
India he was checked by an Indian ruler, Chandragupta
Maurya. Political relations between the two were settled
by a treaty which fixed the Hindu Kush as the limit of
the Seleucid kingdom and gave Gandhara to the Maurya
ruler whose capital was at Pataliputra, the modern Patna.
Thus, for the first time, Gandhara became part of an
Indian empire.

Proof that Gandhara formed part of the Maurya
dominions is afforded by the Rock Edicts of Asoka stillpreserved at Shahbazgarhi, some ten miles to the east of
Mardan. The Singhalese chronicle, the Mahdvamsa, also
records the name of the Buddhist apostle Madhyantika,
who, sent by Asoka, converted the people of Gandhara

and Kashmir (c. 256 B.C.).
After the death of Asoka, c. 231 B.C., the empire of
Magadha began to break up and Gandhara as one of themost distant provinces was able once again to assert her
independence, but only to fall a prey to Bactrian Greek
invaders from the north-west.
It will be recalled that the Seleucid

empire extended

Hindu Kush. About 250 B.C. two parts of thisempire became independent kingdoms, namely Bactria
under Piodotus and Parthia under Arsaces, Parthia

to theHISTORY AND AKT OF GANDHARA.

3grew gradually at the expense of Syria and lasted until
226 A.D. and in the reign of Mithridates I, 171-138 B.C.,
extended as far east as the Indus.
1
Bactria, the north-west region of present day Afghanistan, was a stronghold of Hellenic culture, its rulers amilitary aristocracy, thoroughly Greek in sentiment andover a helot population. Diodotus, theson of the founder of this kingdom, was deposed by one
Euthydemus whose son Demetrius carried his arms acrossthe Hindu Kush and conquered the upper Kabul Valley
and Gandhara 2 (c. 190 B.C.).
religion, ruling

Tta family of Demetrius was driven out of its possessions in Bactria, the Kabul Valley and Gandhara by
a ruler Eucratides. Princes of the house of Eucratides
continued to rule until about 135 B.C., when they, inturn, were expelled from Bactria by the $akas, a Scythiantribe from Central Asia.
They were also deprived of
these
same
Sakas
about the beginning of theGandhara by
B.C.
but
continued
torule in the upper Kabul
1st Century
until
about 50 A.D. when Hermaeus, the last
ValleyGreek prince, was succeeded by the Kushans, a branch
Thus for aof the Yeuh-chi, another Scythian tribe.
hundred years Indo-Greek kings ruled in Gandhara and,Fromin the Kabul Valley, for nearly a century longer.
coins we know the names of thirty-five Indo-Greek kings
and three queens who ruled in the Punjab and in north-west India, but we possess practically no other information concerning them.

The Sakas who superseded the Greeks in Bactria in
135 B.C. and occupied Gandhara towards the beginningof the 1st Century B.C. had themselves been driven outof Bactria by the Yeuh-chi, another similar race from
north-west China. The passes of the Hindu Kush being
closed to them they appear to have travelled by way of
Sistan ($akasthana) into the Indus Valley.
1

In so doing

The modern Balkh preserves the name.

8 His

conquests also included part of the Punjab.

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

4

they seem to have mingled and intermarried freely withthe eastern branch of the Parthians who are known as
the Pahlavas and whose rulers bear Parthian names.

Both Sakas and Pahlavas ruled in north-west India
and coins of the Saka rulers, Maues, Azes and Azilises, arefrequently recovered at Taxila and in Gandhara and an
inscription of a Pahlava ruler, named Gondopharnes,
recovered at Takht-i-Bahi and dated in the 26th yearof his reign and in the year 103 of an unknown era l ispreserved in the Lahore Museum.
But Gandhara had not yet come to the end of its inThe Yeuh-chi, who had driven the Sakas fromvasions.
Bactria, were sufficiently powerful to force the parses ofthe Hindu Kush, to conquer the Kabul Valley and about
50 A.D. to overthrow Hermaeus, the last prince of thehouse of Eucratides. The principal tribe of the Yeuh-chi
was the Kushans and their ruler Kujula Kadphises
extended his conquests to Gatidhara and his successors to
the Punjab and even into the basin of the Ganges.

Of these Kushan rulers the greatest and most powerwas Kanishka who made Purushapura, the modern
Peshawar, his winter capital and extended his conquests
from the borders of China to those of Bengal. Then,and for the only time in its chequered history, Gandharaceased to be a frontier. 2 Under Kanishka and his successors Huvishka and Vasudeva it enjoyed its period ofgreatest prosperity and it is to this era that, with one
3
exception, all the ancient monuments of Gandhara, fromful

If, as generally accepted, the era is the Vikrama Sam vat which began in
58 B.C., then Gondopharnes began to reign in 19 A.D. and was still reigning in
45 A.D.
8
Chandragupta Maurya's kingdom is said to have extended to the Hindu
Kush but Asoka's Rock Edicts at Shahbazgarhi seem to indicate that Gandhara
was actually a frontier as the seven similar edicts are all found on the borders of
the Maurya kingdom.
It is true that for some periods Afghanistan formed part of the Moghul
Empire but it was held with difficulty at id Gandhara was in reality as mucha frontier then as it is to-day. Attock, the ferry station on the Indus, establishedand fortified by Akbar in 1581-83 was so named because it was the north-west
1

limit
8

(fitak)of his empire.

The A6oka Eock Edict of Shahbazgarhi, c. 256 B.C.

HISTORY AND AKT OF GANDHARA.

5

the stupas of the Khyber to the ruined walls still visible
in the high banks of the Indus at Hund, are to be assigned,

and it is religious foundations of Kushan date that haveyielded most of the sculptures in this museum.
Kanishka is said to have been converted to Buddhism
and the Buddhist texts make of him a ser< ad Asoka
and of Gandhara a second holy land of Buddhism.
Although the Buddha in all probability never travelledwest of the present United Provinces we find that before
the 5th Century numerous sites in Gandhara were definitely
associated with, and owed their fame to events connectedwith the Buddha in his last or previous existences, 1 while
the sanctity of Peshawar was assured by Kanishka's
great stupa reputed to enshrine relics of the Buddha,
and by the Patrachaitya wherein was preserved his pdtra(begging bowl).
It was from the site of Kanishka's stupa that Dr. D. B.
Spooner recovered by excavation in March 1909 thesesame relics 2 of the Buddha and the bronze reliquary inwhich they had been enshrined, and it is Kanishka himself

whom we see in the centre of the casket between figuresof the sun and moon, PL 10.

After the death of Vasudcva, c. 225 A.D., the Kushan
power declined, though it survived in the Punjab until
the middle of the 5th Century. Of the history of Gandhara

during this period we know little until about 400 A.D.
when it was visited by the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim,
Pa Hian. From his description of the stupa of the Eye"adorned with silver and gold "and his statementthat some seven hundred priests still served the Patrachaitya at Peshawar it is clear that Buddhism was
Gift

"

"

"

1 The
stupa of theEye gift to mark the "spot where the Buddha, when
was located at Piushkat avail,he was a Bodhisattva, gave his eyes in charity
the scene of the Visvantara Jataka at Po-lu-sha (^hahbazgaihi), the wito of the
tho
50
li
north-west of Pushkaravati,
toconversion of the Yakshi llaritl, some""and the scene of the JSyania Jataka fifty li or so still further to the north.
8 The relics were
presented to the Buddhists of Burma and havo been reenshrined at Mandalay. The casket is preserved in tho Pc^ha\.ar Museuia anda plaster cast is exhibited in the Central Hall.

BSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

6

But when in 520 A.D.
Chinese pilgrim, reached Gandhara
Song-yun, another"relatively vigorous and flourishing.

This is the country which the Ye-tha deshave
generations
troyed.. .since which event twohordeabarbarous
or
White
These
Ye-thaHuns,
passed."from Central Asia, swept down into India towards theend of the 5th Century carrying fire and sword everywhere in their train, obtained possession of the Kushan
dominions and eventually overthrew the great empireof the Guptas.

he records,.

Song-yun speaks

of

the

Ye-thaking(Mihiragula),

whom he met in camp, as cruel and vindictive, practising
the most barbarous atrocities, worshipping demons andopposed to the law of the Buddha. Nevertheless he stillrecords the existence at Po-lu-sha (Shahbazgarhi) of"covered with gold sufficient to dazzle
beautiful images"
the eyes
and, within the temple, paintings of the
Visvantara Jataka so vividly lifelike as to bring tears to
the eyes of the barbarians. But he was the last to see
the glories of the Buddhist shrines of Gandhara, for some
fifteen years later Mihiragula destroyed sixteen hundredof its religious establishments, killed two-thirds of the

inhabitants and reduced the remainder to slavery.

From this calamity Gandhara never recovered andwhen a hundred years later Hiuan Tsang, the most famousof the Chinese pilgrims, passed through Gandhara thetraces of this devastation were still clearly legible on theface of the desolated land. He found it without a
king
and a dependency of Kapisa 1 and not only depopulated
but more than half ruined by the evils of war. He

mentions some fifteen religious establishments among
those still occupied, but of the rest records with pathetic"
There are about one thousand sanghdrdmas 2
brevity,which are deserted and in ruins. They are filled with wild
1*

The IJapiSa of Hiuan Tsang is tho present Afghan Kohistan
Buddhist monasteries.

HISTORY AND ART OF GANDHARA.

7

shrubs and solitary to the last degree. The stupas are1
mostly decayed/'
But the worst invasions were yet to come andGrandhara under the rule of Turki Shahiya kings of Kabul 2
and of their successors the Hindu Shahiya rulers of Ohind(Hund) still remained Indian in manners and language
until the beginning of the llth Century when the Muhammadan invasion swept away the last traces of Indian art,

language and culture.

ART.
The school of art which arose and flourished in
Gandhara was not the first to arise on Indian soil.
Long before we have the Ancient Indian School re3
presented by the sculptures of the Bharhut stiipa, the54
therailings of Bodh Gaya, the gateways of Sanclii,
6
7
fayades of the rockcut temples of Orissa and the Konkan,

and the pre-Kushan sculptures of Mathura. 8

Now these works of the Ancient School show a continuous development from the rudimentary technique ofmost of those of Bharhut, through the more developed
style of the reliefs on the Bodh Gaya railing to the masterly
execution of the best sculptures of Sanchi.
The school of Gandhara, on the other hand, thoughlater in date is not a natural continuation of the AncientIndian School but exhibits clear evidence of Hellenistic

influence,difficulties

displays a greater mastery over technicaland introduces new and foreign motifs,

Beal, Buddhist Records, Vol. I, p. 98.
2

The Turki Shahiya kings of Kabul boasted their descent from the Kushan

king, Kanishka.

middle of 2nd Century B.C.
Early 1st Century B.C.
1st Century B.C.
c. 1st Century B.C.
f Latter half of 1st
Century B.C.
Middle o2 2nd Century B.C. onward.
c.

8 Latter half of

B2

8

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

Nevertheless, like its predecessors, it still remains at theservice of Buddhist piety and the monuments to be adornedby the reliefs and images, the legends to be illustrated, theends to be served are still Buddhist.
Thus though the form be strongly Hellenistic, theis Indian andconsequently we find many oldmattermotifs of the early school retained practically unchanged.
Some are, however, modified and a few entirely transformed. To the already numerous Indian or Indianizedmotifs atlantes, fantastic creatures, griffons and theflora and fauna of India, the new school brought the vine,
the acanthus, Cupids and garlands, 1 PL 2 (6), fabulqjis
creatures such as the hippocampus and triton,*PL 8 (a),marine divinities, the gods of Olympus and all the entourage of Dionysus, while to the architectural detailsof the ancient school, railings, bead and reel and sawtooth mouldings, horse-shoe arches, trapezoidal doorways, merlons and Indo-Persepolitan pilasters, theGrseco-Buddhist sculptors contributed Indo-Corinthianpilasters, acanthus capitals, PL 8 (6), modillion cornices

and foliated mouldings, PL 5 (a).

But the greatest contribution to Indian art resulting
from this union of Hellenistic genius and Buddhist piety
is the figure of the Buddha, PL 2 (a), PL 3, PL 9 (a).
In the earlier sculptures of the Ancient Indian school
illustrating events in the last existence of the Buddha,
the Master is never represented, his presence in any scene
being indicated by some sacred symbol. His riderless
horse with umbrella depicts the flight from the palace, 2
an empty throne under a tree the Enlightenment 3
but Gautama himself never appears and it was the Hellenistic artists of Gandhara familiar with the comprehensive pantheon of Greek art who first attempted to portray;

The amorini, PI. 5 (a), lose their classic form and in No. 241 PL 7, appear
as Httle yakshas while in PI. 2 (6) the ankle ted figures are possibly no longer Cupids
but the yaksha otfspring of Pailchika and Hariti bearing a long flexible purse.
slntrod. ia
1
Jntrod. 19,
1,

HISTORY AND ART OF GANDHARA.
the Master. 1

That this product9of Indo-Greek ateliers

failed ultimately to satisfy Indian ideals lessens in noway the credit of the achievement of the Grseco-Buddhist
artists, for whatever

may be thought of the later developments of the Buddha image in India proper there canbe no doubt that it originated in Gandhara and that it
is not only the oldest in the world but also the source fromwhich the artists of Central Asia and the Far East drew
their inspiration.
This alone invests it with great historical interest and importance for it can hardly be con-tested that the

Buddha figure is Asia's greatest artistic

success.

Closely connected with the figure of the Buddha are
the Bodhisattvas, 2 PL 1, PL 4 (a), (c), another contributionof the school of Gandhara to Indian art.

worked not only in stone, 3 but also instucco, terracotta and clay and it must not be forgottenthat these images were invariably embellished with polychrome and gold. Evidence of this is furnished not onlyThe

artists

by Song-yun's account of the dazzling images of Po-lu-sha
but by 108 M, 4 943 M (a), (6), (c), 5 No. 227, andNos. 1797 and 1809. 7

We have already seen that Buddhism reached Gandhara
about 256 B.C. and that froinc. 190 B.C. to c. 100 B.C. theThe priority of tho Girauo-Buddhist imago of the Buddha is no longer unchallenged and Dr. A. K. Coomaraswamy in the \\orks detailed in the Bibliographyadvances the claim of the Mathura Buddha figure, if not to priority, at least to1

equal antiquity.
2
The term Bodlusattva is tho designation of any person, human or divine, who
has reached that stage of development which assures his becoming a Buddha,
In history only one Buddha is known, namely Gautama himself, who ceased toba a Bodhisattva on attaining Buddhahood. But the Buddhists have evolved
a theory of countless others, among the best known of whom are Avalokiteavara,
Maitreya, Manjusrl and Vajrapam.
8
The stone used for most of the sculptures is a variety of greyish blue schist

which varies considerably in fineness, some of the most beautiful and seemingly
early friezes being executed in a close-grained homogeneous stone lending itself
to the execution of reliefs rivalling in delicacy those of workers in ivory*

Table Case A.
Table Case M,
Case 11.
7
Case 76.
6

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAB MUSEUltfL

10

country was ruled by Indo-Greek princes. This period
would seem to have been peculiarly favourable to the riseof the school of Grseco-Buddhist art.
But when we
examine the coins of these rulers it is Greek gods andgoddesses we see occupying the place of honour on thereverse and the same is true of the coins of their SakaPahlava successors. But Hellenistic culture must eventhen have been making itself felt in Gandhara though its
art, apparently, was not yet devoted to the service of
Buddhism. 1 Still it is not until the time of Kanishka
that the Buddha figure appears on a coin. The conventionalization of the Buddha figures on the Kanishka
casket, PI. 10, makes it plain that the origin of this image
must be assigned to some pre-Kanishka date and confirmation of this is afforded by the gold reliquary fromBimaran which likewise bears representations of the
Buddha and which is said to have been found along withcoins of Azes. 2 It therefore appears as if the school ofGandhara sprang into being between the passing of IndoGreek rule and the coming of the Kushans, that is during
the Saka-Pahlava supremacy in the 1st Century B.C.
Nevertheless it must not be forgotten that the vast
majority of the sculptures in the Peshawar Museum
have been recovered, not from Saka-Pahlava monuments,
but from the ruins of religious establishments assignablewith certainty to Kushan times.
The sculptures themselves do not, as might havebeen expected, afford much assistance towards removing
the uncertainty as to their date for, unfortunately, among
the many thousands of Gandhara sculptures we possess,few are inscribed, still fewer are dated and none of thesein

any known1era.

A recent acquisition No.

1944,

3

No Indo-Greek city site in Gandhara has yet been excavated. It is suchmay be expected to yield the earliest efforts of the Gandhara School.

sites which

To this early period such sculptures as Pigs. 129-131 of A. G.-B. G. might well
be assigned, and, perhaps, No. 1938, Menander's wrestlers (Case 85).
2
These coins do not, of course, prove the casket to be of the time of Azes
though the presumption is not unwarranted, as it was a contemporary coin thatwas found with the Kanishka reliquary.
*
Central Hll,e/. p. 51.

6ISTO&Y AND AKT OF GANDHlRA.

11

however, dated in the year 89 seems, on paleeographic
grounds, to be referable to the Kanishka era and may withsome confidence be assigned to between 166*216 AJX 1
The composition and style of this relief point to a period
when the school was in full vigour and prove that, longafter Kanishka, the artists of Gandhara could, at leastin stone, execute works of considerable merit.
Stillneither the dated inscriptions nor considerations of styleenable us to determine with any approach to certainty
the chronological sequence of the sculptures. As ageneral rule the earlier ones approximate more closely
to Hellenistic work but the compositions are frequently
eo complex that certainty can rarely be reached.
Nos. 14 L, 24 L and 15 L, PL 8, are probably early
products of the school ; No. 1739, PL 1, No. 1527, PL 2 (a),No. 200, PL 4 (a), Nos. 1866, PL 4 (c), 28 L, PL 5 (a), and1944 of the school in its full vigour ; and No. 1773,
PL 4 (6), in its decline while Nos. 1440, 87 L and No. 403
appear to mark its complete decadence.
;

The interest of the works of this school, however, is
by no means limited to their religious and aesthetic aspects,
important as are these to the students of Buddhism andof the history of art.
They throw a flood of light on thelife of this doubly classical land of Gandhara during somefive centuries, and place at the disposal of the Indianist
a comprehensive dictionary of antiquities illustrated bycontemporary artists. The costumes of all classes fromthe furnishing of houses, weapons ofprinces to paupers,
war and the chase, armour, articles of toilet and jewellery,
litters, howdahs, carts and carriages, horses and harness,tools, agricultural implements, cult objects and musicalinstruments are all depicted. We are shown the people
at work, play and worship, engaged in acts of devotion,cremations, donations, sports and visits of
we are not left ignorant of the appearance
andceremony
marriages,

1 For thisreading and date I am indebted to Dr. Steu Konuw
Kaniehka is itself a matter of controversy.

The date ofSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

12ofmusicians,

dancers,

travellers,

ascetics,

wrestlers,bravoes and robbers. The forms which gnomes, dryads,
water spirites and demons assumed in popular imagination are all depicted as well as the battlemented andguarded city walls and gateways which defended thepeople from their more substantial and mundane enemies.
These sculptures come also as a welcome corrective&nd addition to the Buddhist canonical books, revealing
more precisely the form Buddhism took in Gandhara.
The abundance of images and particularly those of Hariti
and PaiicLika prove that the Buddhism of the texts did
not hold the field unchallenged. The common need of
the heart for objects of devotion and the still more humandesire for children and riches were met by these 'images.
The numerous monuments and their wealth of sculpture
are evidence, too, of the prosperity of the country and theopulence of its inhabitants who, if we may believe theinscriptions, were not less mixed in race than the sculptures themselves in style, for if the Sadhakamitra of
No. 280 and the Dharmapriya and Buddhapriya of
No. 1944 are Indians the Menander of No. 1938 l and theAgesilaos of the Kanishka relic casket at least can clearlyclaim Greek descent.

The school enjoyed an exceptionally long life andthough we know comparatively little of its earlier works
we are fully informed from Kushan times. The highest
artistic

development seems to have been reached in the

2nd Century A.D. and this was followed by a very long
period of prosperity marked by the production of countless sculptures of a uniform level of mediocrity, the artof the studio being replaced by the craftsmanship of thevery long and slow decline succeeded,
workshop.
evidenced by loss of technical skill, monotonous repetition
and weakness of composition, but stucco continued to be
used with considerable vigour until the end of the 5thA

Century A.D,I*

0/ P* 47 and footnote.

HISTORY AttD ABT OP GANDHARA.

13

Buddhist art in Gandhara received its first blowin the early part of the 6th Century at the hands of theferocious White Hun ruler, Mihiragula. After the passingof the White Hun domination Buddhism again revived
and in the neighbourhood of the larger towns some of

the monasteries and stupas appear to have been restored. 1
Some ancient images and reliefs from the ruins werebrought into use and stucco work again adorned thebases of stupas, but life had departed from the art as
indicate only too plainly such figures as Nos. 840-1,
Nevertheless Buddhism lingered on in
876. 2
843,
Gandhara until the Muhammadan invasion (1021 A.D.),but by that time the greater part of the monuments
were already hidden under their ruins awaiting the spadeof the excavator, to the success of whose efforts the collection bears ample witness.

1

Stein, A. S. I., 1911-12, p. 101.

2 Table Case L.

CHRONOLOGY.
B.C.
1.

Birth of Siddhartha Gautama

2.

Death of Siddhartha Gautama

3.

4.

Gandhara, a part of Persian Empire
Alexander invades Gandhara

5.

Death of Alexander

6.

Alexander's last garrison leaves India

7.

Seleucus, successor of Alexander in Western Asia, checked infounder of Buddhism

8.

....

.....

Asoka Maurya sends Buddhist Missionaries
His inscription at Shahbazgarhi

the Sakas

Gandhara.........
.........
....

305
c.

256

e.

250

c.

190

c.

135

c.

100

W. India and later obtain possession of

13. Rise of the Gandhara School
14.

317

to Gandhara.

Bactua becomes independent under Diodotus
10. Demetrius of Bactria conquers the Kabul Valley, Gandhura
and the Punjab
11. Heliocles, King of Bactria, driven across the Hindu Kush by&akas invade N.

323

Gandhara becomes part

9.

12.

663
483

568321827326.......

India by Ghandragupta Maurya.
of Mauryan Empirec.

.

First Century B.C.

Pahlava dynasty ruling in N. W. India

c.

50

A.D.
15.

Gondopharnes, Pahlava king ruling in Gandhara.
Bahi inscription of year 103

Takht-i-50

21Conquest of the Kabul Valley by the Kushans and extinctionof Greek rule north of the Indus
17. Kushan power extended over N. W. India
Grseeo -Buddhist art seems to have
18. Kanishka, Kushan King.
flourished greatly in his reign as a result probably of his
16.

.

.

.

.

conversion to Buddhism and the increased material prosperity of the country. Buddha image first appears on his
coins but is already conventionalized

....

19.

Fa Hian, Chinese pilgrim, visits Gandhara

20. Song-yun,

.

.

.

,

White Hun King, destroys sixteen hundred
stupas and monasteries of Gandhara and slays two -thirds

c.

60

c.

76

c.

120

400
520

21. Mihiragula, theof its inhabitants
22.

Hiuan Tsang, the most famous of the Chinese pilgrims, visits
India

Muhammadan invasion of Gandhara
15

.....

5305406296451021

CHAPTER II.
INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.
To the student

of

Buddhist sculpture, the enquiry

how far the various legends connected with thelife of Gautama Buddha are historical, is not one of imas toportance. It is the legends alone that can explain thescenes represented in the sculptures, and for this reason
a brief account of the Buddha's life, as it is known andbelieved in by his followers, is a necessary introduction
to our subject.

The exact date of the Buddha's birth is not known.
His death, according to Dr. Fleet, took place on tlie 13thof October, 483 B.C., and, as he is said to have been 80
years of age at the time, it is probably a close approximation to the truth to date his birth in 563 B.C. The
legend has it that this event was not only attended bycountless supernatural phenomena, but also presaged by
Siddhartha himself, they say,divers dreams and visions.
was resident in the Tushita Heaven when the time
approached for him to be reborn on earth, and he longdeliberated as to who were worthy of being his parents,
and ultimately decided to be born of Maya, the queenof King Suddhodana, the ruler of the Bakya clan whose
capital was Kapilavastu in the present Nepal Terai.
Accordingly, he descended from heaven and entered theright side of the queen under the form, as it seemed tothe sleeping Maya, of a white elephant with six tusks.
Here he reposed until the hour of birth arrived. Whenthe time came the queen was disporting herself in oneof the royal gardens outside the city, known as the Luin-bim, and the miraculous event itself is said to have takenplace as she stood beneath a sal tree.
From the place of his birth he was brought back to
the capital amid the rejoicings of the people, and the16INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

17

astrologers were set to cast Ms horoscope.
Noticingthat the infant's body bore the 32 major and the 80 minor
marks of a " Great Being ", x they seem to have been
in doubt as to whether he would become a Universal
Monarch or a perfect Buddha, the saviour of the world,
But when the Rishi
for the marks of both are the same.
Asita, who was attracted to the spot from a great distance by visions with which his miraculous power gifted
him, came and beheld the child, he pronounced him to
be indeed the Bodhisattva, that is to say, the future
Buddha. The royal father, however, does not seem tohave been attracted by the prospect of his son and heir
abandoning the throne and going forth as a humble
mendicant to lead the life of an ascetic, and, therefore,
exerted himself to attract the prince to worldly things

by indulging him in every form of luxury and pleasure.
Pie was early married to Yasodhara, having establishedhis right to win her by excelling all the rival Hiikya youths
in a series of games and contests arranged for that purpose, and he lived with her and the other ladies of his
household in the utmost happiness until early manhood.
His father, however, remembering the prophecy that
he would renounce the world, kept him almost a prisoner
within the palace walls.

When, in the fulness of time the hour for the Great
Renunciation drew nigh, the young man, being impelled
thereto by the gods, prevailed upon his charioteer Chandaka to take him without the enclosure on a pleasure
Then it was that the gods, in order to set his mindon spiritual things, showed him the spectacle of an old,decrepit man in the highway. This was succeeded bya second vision of a man sick and worn with pain, andthen by a third vision of a loathsome corpse. Touched
trip.

to the heart by those pitiful spectacles the young prince
demanded explanations, and, learning thus the truth of1
Of these physical characteristics of the Buddha the sc ilptures show but
one the urna, the whorl of luminous hair between the eyes, usually represented
as a raise'1 mole-like projection. Cf. No. 239 in the vestibule and PI. 9 (a).

18

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

Old Age, Sickness and Death, was plunged in grief andmeditation, until a fourth vision, that of a holy ascetic,
opened his eyes to the path he should follow to obtainfreedom from these ills. Meanwhile the king, terrified
by the pensiveness that had come upon his son, redoubled
his efforts to divert his attention from the grim realities
of life and to keep him closely confined within the palace.
But the gods so filled him with a feeling of satiety anddisgust for worldly things, that, with their assistance,
he fled in the night leaving his wife, his home and thethrone that might have been his.

This is the Great Kenunciation, so often sung in Bu<3and so often depicted in the various schools
From this time forth he lived
of Buddhist sculpture.
for several years as a mendicant seeking the way of salvation by fasting and mortification of the flesh as theBrahmans both of those days and of our own times do.
But after many enquiries into the various systems ofbelief then prevailing, and after long trial of the many
forms of asceticism common to the Hindus of his time,
he abandoned their methods in despair, It was notlong after this that the secret of salvation flashed upon
him, as he sat in meditation beneath the Bodhi tree at
Bodh-gaya, and he attained to that enlightenment byvirtue of which he ceased to be a Bodhisattva and becamea perfect Buddha.
dhist story

Almost immediately

the Enlightenment the
Buddha proceeded to Sarnath near Benares, where in
the Deer Park of that place he preached his first sermon
and thus entered on his ministry. This incident is the"so-called
turning of the Wheel of \he Law ", and isavery favourite subject for representation by
naturally
after

Buddhist artists.

With this brief sketch of the early years of the Buddha's
life, we may pass on to those particular legends connectedwith the great Teacher which are illustrated by sculptures now in the Peshawar Museum. In the fallowing

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

19

brief list the sculptures illustrative of each legend are
mentioned at the end of each paragraph, and conversely
the paragraphs themselves are referred to in the detailed

description of the sculptures.
It is not easy to become atheinformtexts
us, indeed, such a position
Buddha,is to be attained only after a long series of existences
and the display of the most heroic virtues, and fromsuch a probation even Sakya Muni himself was not exempt.
The stories of his previous lives as given in the Buddhist
Birth Stories (Jdtakas) enumerate some 550 incarnations
The Peshawar collecas bird beast and human being.
tions contain no representations of jdtakas depicting theBuddha in animal existences. The one most commonly
represented is the Dipankara-jataka. The Buddha in
the reliefs is, therefore, not the historical Buddha Gautama but the earliest of his twenty-four predecessors,a Buddha named Dipankara. Once when this Buddha
1. Diparikara-Jataka.

Dipankara was about to visit a certain town, news of
his coming reached a young ascetic named Megha or
Sumati. This pious youth, anxious to pay his respects
to the great Teacher, and having just won a certain sumof money by his display of Vedic knowledge, hastened
to the town to purchase some flowers to cast in worship
before Dipankara. Now it so happened that the kingof the country anxious to pay homage to the Buddha
had ordered that all the flowers available should bereserved for him. Sumati thus found himself in difficulties.
However, he chanced to meet a maiden, carryas to obtainawater
jar, who had been so fortunate
ing
he
these
of
lotuses.
Fivesevenpurchased from her,birthsshe should be his
futureinallthat
on condition
from the maidenofthese
flowers
The purchase
wife.
the
drama
is the first act ofrepresented by the sculpture
wherein the youth and the maiden are seen standing
to one side bargaining. Having completed this purchase,the youth turns and prepares to cast the flowers before

20

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

who has meanwhile arrived on the scene.
The flowers, however, when thrown, do not fall to theground but remain suspended about the Buddha's head,as is plainly shown in the sculpture No. 439. Impressedby this miracle the youth prostrates himself in adoration,at the same time letting down his long hair and spreading it as a carpet before the feet of the Buddha. Touchedby this act of devotion, Dipankara Buddha then addresses
the young man and prophesies that in due time he willattain to enlightenment and become a Buddha.
By afurther manifestation of miraculous power, the youth
is then mysteriously raised up into the air, where heagain kneels and continues his adoration of DipankarJL

the Buddha,(135, 247, 439, 781, 783, 810, 816, 1122, 1379, 1554, 1852.)

In the sculpture all these various acts are represented,
being grouped together into one composition. The young
ascetic, it should be remembered, was destined later tobecome the Gautama Buddha of history, while in themaiden, Buddhists see Yasodhara, Siddhartha's youthfulbride, whom he abandoned in the Great Renunciation.
2. Syaina-Jataka.

In

this

existencethefutureBuddha was born as Syama, a model of filial piety and thesole support of his aged and blind parents who lived ashermits in a remote part of the Himalayas. One day
when drawing water he was struck by the arrow of theking of Benares who was hunting deer in the forest, but
was afterwards miraculously restored to life.

(1891.)

Only four scenes of the story are depicted in therelief, No. 1891, PL 5 (6)(A) the slaying of Syama, (B)the hermitage with the two leaf -huts of the father and:mother, (C) the king leading the blind ascetics to thebody of their dead son, and (D) the parents in grief kneeling by the dead body. In the third scene the blindnessof the parents is most cleverly suggested.

Hiuan-Tqang, who was in India in 629-645 A.D., menGandhara a stupa ahput ten

tions in his description ofINTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

21

miles from Pushkaravati (Charsada) which was then believed to mark the site of this edifying story, and it is
not impossible that the mound known locally as PeriUnodheri, near the large village ~of Gandheri
the remains of that monument.

may conceal

The most famous of all the
3. V&vantara-J&taka.
Jatakas is that which recounts the penultimate existenceof the Buddha, when born as Prince Visvantara, the sonof the king of Sivi, he realized on earth the perfection
As the country of Kalinga was sufferingof charity.
from famine consequent on a prolonged drought, theki^g in desperation sent some Brahmans of his court
to beg from the ever charitable Visvantara a miraculous
white elephant which had the power of producing rainwhenever desired and was naturally one of the mostvaluable state treasures. Visvantara without hesitation
presented the elephant to the Brahmans and for thismore generous than diplomatic act he, on the angry pro*tests of his father's subjects, was banished from the
kingdom, and with his faithful wife and two young children
left for the distant jungle appointed as his place of banish-

ment.

(1366.)

Even on the road to exile he gave away in alms, first
and then his chariot. Later, in the jungle
a wicked Brahman begged from him his children andhis horses

The King of The Gods ($akra), in disguise, obtained from this monomaniac of charity even his wife
finally!

however, ends happily and the prince
arefinally reunited at his father's court.
family
All,

and

his

In No. 1366 which appears to depict the first sceneof the story, we see the elephant of state on the left and,in the centre, the princely Visvantara in the act of pre-senting it to an aged Brahman and ratifying the gift
in the orthodox way by pouring water on the recipient's
hand. The figure on the extreme right with ^rms thrown
up in consternation may well be one of the dismayedSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

22

populace whosebanishment.

later

anger

resultedin

Visvantara's

The story is of special local interest as by the sixth
century it had been located in Gandhara and the Chinese
pilgrims Song-yun, 520 AJD. and Hiuan-Tsang, 629-645
A.D., both found that every one of the numerous Buddhist
1
religious foundations in the neighbourhood of Po-lu-sha
was reputed to recall one or other episode of this edifying

legend.
4.

Queen Maya's dream. The sculptures portraying
meant to illustrate the conception of thethis scene are

Originally the whole incident was felt to^Jbe
the
dream
announcing to Maya the approaching
only
conception of the child. But having been so often represented in sculpture, the belief seems to have grownthat the incident was a real one. The child is seen descending from the Tushita Heaven in the form of a whiteelephant, which according to the story ought to have
six tusks.
His divine character is shown by the halo
which surrounds him. Maya, the queen, is represented
as lying asleep, and owing to the fact that in the story
the elephant can only enter her right side, where he remains during gestation, the queen's head is regularly
placed to the spectator's right, so that her right sideA
is rendered accessible to the approaching elephant.
curious exception to this otherwise universal rule in Gandhara is seen in sculpture No. 251 when the sculptor
having placed the head to the left, has been forced to
draw the queen with her back to the spectator to avoid
breaking with the tradition. When other female figures
are shown standing to right and left, they are understood
to be palace guards in attendance on the sleeping queen.

Buddha.

(138, 154-A, 251, 350, 566.)

ofthedream. As was only
the queen demanded of the astrologers some

5. Interpretation

natural,1

The modern Shahbazgarhi about ton miles cast of Mardan in the Peshawar

district and the site of one of the eight recensions of ASoka's Rock Jjdicts,

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

23

interpretation of this extraordinary dream, and this is
the incident depicted in sculptures Nos. 147 and 251.
The king and queen are shown seated side by side turn-ing attentively toward a Brahmanical figure on the left,
who remains seated before them as he expounds themeaning of the dream and foretells the birth of the wonderful child.
The various texts are somewhat confusedon the point, but it seems probable that the Brahman
in question is the Rishi Asita.
Sometimes one or moreorotherattendants
guardsfigure in the composipalace
their presence or
but
and
are
not
essential
tion,
they
absence appears to be determined by consideration ofrpace.
6.

(147,251.)

Thebath and seven steps,The

representation of the birth of Prince Siddhartha, is naturally
birth,

one of the commonest ofall

subjects in Buddhist art.

The Queen had gone to the Lumbim garden with herladies, and was there disporting herself, when the appointed moment came. The sculptures show her standing in the centre of the composition, with her right handupraised and clutching a branch of the sal tree which
represents the garden. She is supported by her sister,
Mahaprajapati, while attendants varying in number are
clustered behind them.

Meanwhile the divine childisshown issuing from the right side of the queen (in har-mony with the legend of the conception).

In reverent

Brahma and Indra stand to receive him. It
is Indra with thehigh headdress, who actually receives
the child in his outstretched arms, while Brahma, who
is distinguished by his coiffure, looks on in adoration.
attitudes^(32-L,

127,359,

643-M, 1241, 1242, 1374, 1900, 1903,

1936.)

According to some texts no sooner is the Bodhisattva
born than he takes seven steps in the direction of eachof the cardinal points and it is in this act he is shownin No. 1374.
Other texts state that the newly bornisinfantfirst bathed by the two naga-rdjas, Nanda andc 2

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

24

Upananda, who holding themselves in the air create two
streams of water, hot and cold, for this purpose. It isthey whom we see in the unique relief No. 1900, andfrom whose mouths pour the cleansing streams.
In Gandhara reliefs the bathing of the Bodhisattva
is, however, usually assigned to Indra and Brahma or
to human attendants, as in the fragmentary right panelof No. 1903.
The left panel of this relief shows theclosed litter in which Maya and the child are broughtfrom the Lumbini garden to the capital, Kapilavastu.
7. The Horoscope. The story of the Horoscope,
when the Eishi Asita foretold to the king and queen t]jwonderful nature of the child that had been born to them,from the scene of the
in
one
of
detail only.
the
Dream
The
Interpretation
but
in
the
the
is
of
the
same,
sculptures
composition
Eishi
holds
the
the
child
on
his
seatedHoroscopelap.
The prophecy, which the Eishi is understood to be making
to the royal couple, was unfortunately ambiguous. It
so happens that the physical characteristics of a Buddha
such as the little whorl of the luminous hair between
the eyes, etc., are the same as those of a mighty emperor"
or
Universal Monarch ". The Eishi himself declaredthat the child would become a Buddha, but the thought
was repugnant to the royal father, who did his utmost
to prevent this consummation. His hope was that,
despite the prophecy of the Eishi, the child would growup to be that mighty monarch which the peculiar marks
on his body indicated equally with the Buddhahood.
But the gods through pity for mankind thwarted theloving but selfish aspirations of the father's heart, andaided the prince to overcome all obstacles and become
the perfect Buddha. (131, 643-M, 675, 1541, 1726.)
differs in sculptural representation

8.

The writing

lesson.

Oneofthe incidents inthe childhood of the prince Siddhartha, frequently re3resented in the Buddhist sculpture, is that of the child's
writing lesson. Having been sent to school with

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

25

the other noble children of the Sakya clan, the young
Siddhartha gives evidence of his miraculous powers byenumerating and demonstrating his knowledge of more
systems of writing than were known even to his guru,
the learned Visvamitra. In the sculptures, the child isshown seated with a writing board on his knees, while
the other scholars and the guru arc grouped around.
(131, 151, 347.)
9. The wrestling match and martial exercises.
The Buddhist books unfortunately give varying andconfused accounts of the several physical exercises practhe young prince. In some they appear as partbyof his youthful training, in others it is stated that thisside of his education had been so neglected that thet^edfather of Yasodhara raised objections when Suddhodana
first sought his daughter in marriage for his son Siddhartha.

But despite this handicap the Bodhisattva declared himready to compete with all comers in any branch of
Elaborate games were, therefore, instituted andsport.
the Bodhisattva, of course, easily defeated all other comIn fragment No. 143 is seen one of the events,
petitors.
a wrestling match and in No. 1408 we see the Bodhisattva
self

engaged in archery and tug of war. The presence ofa figure with a sling seems to indicate that slinging also
formed part of the contest. (30-L, 143, 1408, 1899,
1902, 1906, 1938.)

10. The slaying of the elephant. Naturally, King
Suddhodana was overjoyed at his son's splendid victoryin these contests, and ordered that the great elephantof state should be sent to bring the young prince backfrom the field. But this aroused the jealousy of the
future Buddha's wicked cousin, Devadatta who, with asingle blow, felled the elephant as it was issuing from the
Nanda, Siddhartha's half-brother, seeing thecity gate.
carcaseblocking the gate dragged it a little aside,hugethat traffic might not be obstructed. Later, when theBodhisattva himself arrived on the scene, he picked up

SCULPTURES IN THE PESftAWAR MUSEUM.

26

the huge creature with one hand and hurled it over theseven walls and moats of the city, in order that the decomposing mass might not infect the town. Of. No.
1906.

(142, 1906.)

No very detailed
havetheBodhisattva
theofmarriage
depictingever been recovered but in No. 701-M, there is a summary
version of the ceremony, the essential rites of which areunion of hands, the circumambulation of the sacred fire
and the aspersion of water. In No. 701 -M, the bridal
couple, hand in hand, stand on either side of the fire
which is flanked by water pots, a single female with palmlike fan and one drummer serving to indicate the marEven though the ceremony must have been
riage party.
one familiar to those whom these reliefs were intended
to edify, the absence of the officiating Brahman is somewhat surprising. In No. 250, only the left half of thescene is preserved and here the female attendant acts
as train-bearer to the bride. Though the bride is missing in No. 1905, her long train, the fire and the waterpots leave no doubt as to the purport of the relief. (250,11.

The marriage of Siddhartha.

reliefs

469, 701-M, 1905.)

Theofthe Bodhisattva
thedayprince was taken
hisfathertoaseebyploughing match, where in theenclosed space the half -stripped men and the straining
oxen were labouring strenuously before the assembled
crowd. As the sun increased in strength, the sweat ran
down both men and oxen, and for a few moments theyceased from their labours. In the meantime various
insects came forth from the ground and flocks of birds
descending in multitudes devoured them. Seeing thetired oxen, their necks bleeding from the yoke, the men
toiling beneath the midday sun and the birds devouring
the helpless insects, the heart of the Bodhisattva wasfilled with grief.
Retiring from the enclosure he founda secluded place near a jambu tree and dismissing his
12.

Siddhartha.

meditation

first

On

a

certainINTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

27

attendants sat down beneath its
shady branches andthrough the love and pity produced by his reflections
was wrapt in a state of unconscious(1739.)
ecstasy.
Later, when Suddhodana missing his son sent men
to search for him, theprince was found lost in meditation, theshadow of the tree still shading him, though
the shadow of the other trees had failed not to movewith the ascending sun. The
king summoned to thespot, beholding this sight, was filled with awe and bowed
down at the feet of his son. It is probably his figure
which we see at the lower left corner of thepedestal.
In No. 1739, PI. 1, theploughing scene is relegated tothe extreme right of thepedestal, while the left is occupied by two adoring donors before an incense burner.
13. The Cycle of the Great Renunciation. The
moral of the sculptures
portraying the life of voluptuousease which the young
prince led in his early years, is toshow how great was the sacrifice he made in abandoning
all that was his and in
wandering forth alone to seek
salvation.
The prince is usually represented seated on
his couch with Yasodhara, his chief
queen, by his side,
while numerous other ladies aregrouped around, usually
holding a variety of musical instruments. This is thefirst scene in the so-called
Cycle of the Great Renunciation.
The story is then developed by representing theAftersatiety and disgust which came upon the prince.
seeing the visions of old age, sickness and death which
the gods contrived for him, followedby the vision of theholy mendicant, his heart was filled with a great sorrowfor mankind, and a great
yearning to find deliverance
for all men from this hideous chain of birth and rebirthwith its attendant suffering. At thispoint the gods
arranged that he should awake one night and behold theladies of his palace in therepellent abandon of satiateda scene which is also
sleep
represented in Gandharaart, spmetisncs in a very realistic way.
This decides thequestion for Siddhartha. He arises from his couch andflees, the gates of the closely guarded
palace being mira-

28

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

culously opened for him by the gods. In the sculptures
representing this flight from Kapilavastu, the young
prince is shown mounted on his faithful horse Kanthakawith the groom Chandaka in attendance. That no noise
may occur to alarm the guards, the horse's feet are upheld by Yakshas, a sort of gnome in Buddhist story,
while in some compositions the Evil Spirit, Mara, bow
in hand, is shown pleading with the prince to abandon
his intentions, for which purpose he offers him the sovereignty of the world, as in the Temptation in Christian story. The female figure on the right in No. 572
is the City Goddess, oragara-devatd of Kapilavastu
a conception traceable directly to Hellenistic art. (33-L,
134, 154- A, 343, 345, 457, 572, 784, 1265, 1267, 13V7, 1718,

N

1774, 1882, 1907, 1908, 1914.)

14. The cutting of the hair. There is no sculpture in this Museum, nor indeed any sculpture so far
known in Gandhara, which illustrates this incident in
the Buddha story. But the legend may be mentioned
here with propriety as explanatory of sculpture No. 163.
The Bodhisattva, having fled a certain distance fromthe royal capital, dismounted from his horse and prepared to send it back to the city. He felt it necessary
to abandon also his princely dress and jewels. How
these were given to the groom, and an exchange of garments effected with a hunter who chanced to appear atthat moment, wearing a cloth of that reddish yellow
colour associated even to-day in India with mendicants
we need not detail here as none of these incidents areas yet included in this collection. The cutting of the
All the texts agree
hair, however, is more important.
that he drew his sword with his right hand, seized hislong locks with his left, and cut them completely off
with one stroke. 1 The Bodhisattva, then cast both hair
1
Despite this the Gandhara Buddha is never depicted with shaven head
although his monks are so represented. This seems to indicate that the Buddha
image is due to artists better acquainted with the gods of Olympus than Buddhist
texts and more careful of aesthetics than of orthodoxy.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

29

and turban into the air where they were seized by thedeities of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, who bore them off
to their own abode as objects of worship. It is the royal
turban, worshipped of the gods, which appears on Nos.

163 and 437.

(163, 437.)o
15. Farewells
Kanthaka and Chandaka.
Jewelswhich are naturally possessed
the
Seven
Among
Monarchs
and therefore by all Buddhas,
allUniversalby"three are especially important, to wit theJewel ofofthethe"Jeweland"JewelofHorses",
Women",
Parinayakas ". In the case of a Universal" Monarch thisleader of anword parindyaka is interpreted to mean
it
In
the
Buddhameans
story, however,army ",
nothing
more than leader of the horse afore-mentioned. The
three jewels in the case of Gautama, therefore, are:

Yasodhara his wife, Kanthaka his horse, and Chandaka
his groom and the fact that the two latter at least wereborn simultaneously with Siddhartha himself is quaintly
called to mind by sculptures of the infant colt and theinfant groom, now in the Calcutta and Lahore Museums.
The touching closeness of relation between Siddhartha
and his horse is thus established, and it is not surprising that even the latter was deeply moved when the
moment came for Chandaka to lead him back to thecity, leaving the young prince to wander alone as a humble
mendicant. The incident, which is perhaps as humanand touching as any in eastern story, is depicted in sculpture No. 354.
According to the tiuddkachanta, theis kissing his master's feet and bathhorsegrief-strickeninThe sorrowing groom stands near by,
themtears.
ing
theholdingprincely jewels which Siddhartha has just;entrusted to him.
16.

The

(354.)

six yearsoausterities.

The Peshawar

Museum is fortunate in having a sculpture representing
this period of Siddhartha's life, as, apart from bas-reliefs,
only one other image of the emaciated Buddha is known.

The event illustrated by this sculpture, No. 799, PL 3,

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

30

has been already referred to in the Introduction.

(799,

1413, 1841, 1911, 1912, 1913.)

17.

Hymn of the Naga Kalika.

After subjecting

his flesh for six years to all the austerities prescribed by

Hindu

ascetism, the Bodhisattva lost faith in thesemethods, and to the disgust of the five disciples who
had attached themselves to him, partook of food andproceeded to enter on a more rational course of contemHaving refreshed himself and recovered fromplation.
the rigours of his previous penances, he is said to haveremoved from that place toward a certain pipal tree,
the tree under which the Truth was destined to be maniFor this reason it is now known as thefested to him.
andwhat is said to be a descendant of it is
Bodhi-tree,
In his progress toward
still worshipped at Bodh-gaya.
this spot it so chanced that he passed the abode of Kalika, the king of the Nagas.
Perceiving the effulgenceof the Master's body, Kalika and his wife Suvarnaprabhasa issued forth, and after uttering a hymn of praise,pronounced the prophecy of his approaching Enlightenment. As is usual in the representation of these serpent
deities, the Naga and his wife are shown in the sculpture with the lower portion of their bodies concealed
by a railing, which is understood to surround the tankwhich they lived. They are further distinguishedfrom ordinary mortals by the cobra's hood or hoods
which rise from behind the neck and arch over, somein

times quite covering the head.

(455, 792, 1887.)

18. The approach to the Bodhi-seat. After receiving the prediction of the Naga Kalika the Bodhisattva
continues his march to the Bodhi-tree. On the way hemeets a grass cutter named Svastika who presents him
with a bundle of soft, green grass. It is this which heaccepts in the scenes on the right of Nos. 1723, 1840, andIn No. 787 we see thelater strews on the Bodhi-seat.
seat prepared and the expectant Earth goddess is depict-

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

31

ed a mi-corps before the throne. The amorous couple tothe left appear to be Mara and his daughter. (787, upper
panel, 792, 1723, 1840, 1884.)

The identification of the male figure arising from thethrone is uncertain. It does not appear to be the spiritof the Bodhi-tree such as is seen in the pipal foliage ofNo. 1884 but seems to correspond to the naked figure
with bow seen in No. 1884 and to the kneeling figure of
No. 1840.
The attainment of Supremetheonpart of a Buddha is manifestly
Enlightenmenta psychological experience of which sculptural representation is impossible. The importance of the event to
the whole Buddhist world, however, was such that sculptures, which should at least call it to mind, were imperaTo
tively demanded, and these artists had to supply.
do so, they had recourse to that incident which was mostclosely associated with the Enlightenment in time, namely
the Temptation of Gautama by the Evil Spirit, Mara,for just before the supreme moment, as the Bodhisattva
sat beneath the Bodhi-tree, Mara fearful lest the Buddha
might accomplish his ends and thus not only save himself but open up the path of salvation for countless others,
approached him and tried to persuade him to give up
the quest. He is said to have tempted him with thelust of power, and the lust of pleasure, commanding his
own daughters to disport themselves before him, cf. No.
but the Bodhisattva rose superior to his wiles.
353
Thereupon Mara summoned his demons and made a
furious and appalling assault upon Gautama, seeking todislodge him from the seat. But Gautama merely touchedhis right hand to the ground and called upon the Earthgoddess to bear witness to his right to remain where hewas, by virtue of his acts in previous existences, cf. No.
1844, PL 6(A), and ultimately the hosts of Mara the
Evil One were forced to retire discomfited. It was in
19.

The Temptation.

;

the course of the succeeding night that the moment ofSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

32

supreme Enlightenment ensued, and Siddhartha passed
from the state of being a Bodhisattva to full and perfect
Buddhahood. (128, 343 (?), 352, 353, 355, 1232, 1723,
1844, 1904.)

20.

The

offering of thefour bowls.

Some timeafter the Enlightenment, the Buddha
we may now^call
him so for the first time arose from the Bodhi-seat~andbetook himself to a neighbouring grove, where he fell
an ecstatic trance which lasted for seven weeks,"
while heenjoyed the beatitude of Deliverance ". At
the end of this period the Guardians of the Four Quarters,
realizing that the trance was at an end and that he would
be in sore need of food after this prolonged fast, appfoached his seat, each with a golden bowl, for they knew
that, having no begging bowl, he could not receive thefood that the gods were contriving for him. But the
Buddha refused to accept the golden bowls, as they wereof precious materials and unsuited for areligious mendicant.
The guardians then offered a whole series ofother bowls of less and less valuable materials. All were
These
refused, until they offered four bowls of stone.
he could accept, but in order that no one of the Guardians of the Quarters should be honoured
by the acceptance of his bowl to the sorrow and chagrin of the remaining three, he was pleased to accept all four, which were1
straightway moulded into one by his miraculous power.
In No. 1545 we see the four Lokapalas, from one of whom
the Buddha has already accepted a bowl. (437-M, 1545,
into

1922, 1934.)
Parallel groovings appear on the bowls of Buddha
images to mark the four-fold origin. Cf. No. 208 andthe alms bowls in the Table Cases.
It is of interest to note, furthermore, that the Buddha's

Begging Bowl represented on sculpture No. 171-A is
supposed to have been preserved in Peshawar, at what*

A small steatite plaque No. 437-M depicting this icene will be found in CaseB but is not' of the Gandhora school.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

33

was called the Patrachaitya or Hall of the Bowl. This,
as M. Foucher has shown, stood originally at the place
now known as Panjtirath, where are the modern Hindu
burning grounds.

two merchants. On the
Emaciated Gautama from Takht-i-Bhi,
No. 799, is the only representation so far found in Gandhara of the story of the two merchants. When thetime arrived for the Buddha to wake from his seven
21.

The

offering of thepedestal of theweeks' trance after the Enlightenment, a caravan ofmerchants happened to approach the grove wherein heThis was the caravan of the merchants Trapushasat.

and Bhallika of Orissa, who being cautious men had
placed two bullocks at the head of the caravan to go on
before and give warning of approaching danger. On
nearing the grove these bullocks suddenly showed signsof fear, and refused to advance.
Nay, they even lay
down, while the other bullocks also stopped and paid noheed to the blows of their drivers. It was even foundthat the wheels of the wagons had become mysteriously
At this juncture a stranger, the Genius of the
fixed.
grove in bodily form, appeared before the terrified merchants and told them of the Buddha's presence and hisneed of food. Thereupon they approached his seat under
the spirit's guidance and made him offerings of honeycomb and wheat, which he received in the four-fold bowl
he had just accepted from the Guardians of the Heavenly
Quarters. The accuracy with which the story is told on
this pedestal is remarkable.
Every detail of the legend
andis faithfully(Pedestal of No. 799.)
cleverly depicted.

The first sermon. The time had now come for
the Buddha to enter actively on his ministry. Mention
has already been made of the five disciples who attaching themselves to him during his asceticism deserted him
in disgust when abandoning his austerities he struck out
22.

a path for himself.

These erstwhile disciples, on leaving

34

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

him, had betaken themselves to the famous Mrigadava
or Deer Park at Sarnath, near Benares. The Buddha,
therefore, having decided to address himself first to them,thatproceeded to Benares, and it was in the Deer Park
"
for
the
first
or
time
First
the
Turnlie preached
Sermon,ed the Wheel of the Law ", as the event is described by
Buddhists. In the older school of Indian sculpture,
where the figure of the Buddha is never depicted, theincident can only be represented symbolically, and thesymbol chosen is naturally the wheel. Such symbolicalrepresentations also occur in Gandhara, but usually the
Buddha is himself shown in the sculptures of this school,"
Monks of the Bandseated in the midst of the famous
Theof Five ", as they are called.
symbolism has notdisappeared, however, for in almost all cases the sacredwheel is shown, usually on the front of the Teacher'sSeat, and sometimes in connection with the trident or
trimla representing the three jewels of Buddhism, namely,
the Buddha, the Doctrine and the Community of Monks,
for it was on this occasion that the third jewel, the moThe deer reclining on
nastic order, came into being.
either side of these symbols serve to remind the spectator of the Mrigadava, the place where the sermon wasdelivered.
(129, 145 (?), 349,
Cf.' No. 1844, PL 6(B).
455, 760, 762, 767, 772, 773, 786, 812, 920-M, 1250, 1252,
1781, 1844-B.)

33. Conversion of Kasyapa. Kasyapa of Uruvilva
was the eldest of three brothers, all famous Hindu ascetics, who dwelt with a vast multitude of disciples on thebank of a river near the place where the Buddha had

himself practised austerities. After beginning his ministry at Benares he betook himself to Kasyapa's hermitall his followers.
Butage, intending to convert him andthis proved no easy task, and the Buddha was obliged
to have recourse to some five hundred miracles to effect
One of these was the Victory over thehis purpose.
is represented in the sculptures mentioned
which
Serpent,
at the end of this paragraph.

In one corner

of

the

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

35

hermitage, so the story runs, was a fire temple in which
dwelt a particularly venomous serpent. The Brahmans
were so terrified of this monster, that they had abandoned the temple altogether and no one dared to approachit.
To impress them with his transcendental powers,
the Buddha craved permission to occupy this building.
Kasyapa, of course, refused, thinking that the Masterwould certainly lose his life, but was forced to yield finallyto the Buddha although warning him that it meantcertain death.
He, however, calmly entered the place
and took his seat. The details of the legend vary slightly,
but for our purpose it suffices to say that, as soon as the
Buddha had seated himself, his body began to emit sodazzling an effulgence that the terrible serpent was over-awed, until laying aside his anger, he crept meekly into
the Buddha's begging bowl. Cf. Nos. 1373, 1378, etc.
The Brahmans meanwhile, having seen the extraordinary light issuing from the temple, concluded that theplace was on fire, and hastened thither with jars of water
to extinguish the supposed conflagration. Sculpture No.
136 shows them mounting on ladders for the purpose.
146, 149, 768, 769, 790, 1373,
1549, 1577, 1710, 1842, 1851, 1890.)

(136,

1376,

1378, 1451,

It is satisfactory to observe that in the end the Buddha's heroic efforts were crowned with success, and thewhole community of the Kasyapas joined the newly founded church.

For some unknown reason this legend appears tohave enjoyed exceptional local popularity and the Museum
possesses no less than fifteen reliefs or statuettes dealing
with the conquest of the snake, besides sixteen fragments undoubtedly from these or similar representations,
including four small detached hands holding an almsbowl in which the snake lies coiled. Cf. Nos. 84-M,
742-M, 820-M, 1056.
24. The ordinationo!

Nanda.

One

extraordinary legends in Buddhist story

isof themostthat of theSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

36

conversion of Nanda, a half-brother of the Buddha.

Thelatter is said to have led him away from his well-beloved

wife

by the device of giving him his bowl to carry andit until they reached themonastery,man
was promptly shaved and ordained
the
where
young
as a monk, despite all his protestations.
Of. No. 1892.
to
all
was
intents
andhe
Thereafter
purposes a prisoner,toand his various attempts
escape are recounted by the
texts.
One of these is illustrated by sculpture No. 152.

refusing to retake(152, 1892.)

Once while the Buddha was abroad, Nanda contrived
monastery and began to make Jiis

to steal out of theway stealthily through the surrounding grove of trees.
But the Buddha, although at a great distance from theand flying rapidly
thesomelittledistance in front
air,alightedthroughspot, perceived what was taking place,

Seeing the Master approach, the wretchedhidquickly behind a tree, but lo as the .Buddha
youthdrew near, the tree was suddenly raised bodily into the
Needair, disclosing the unfortunate Nanda to his gaze.
less to say, the young man was straightway marchedback to the monastery.

of the fugitive.

!

There may be a moral to this story, but it must be

acknowledged that it is somewhat obscure. Is it being
too charitable to imagine that the legend is meant toportray the almost overweening love and pity of the
Buddha, who to save humanity was cruel to be kind ?
This interpretation would be easier, though, could we
see in Nanda any special need for the salvation forced
upon him. But no such need is apparent, and as thestory stands, he figures rather as a martyr to the cause.
25. Visito!

Indra.

Once while the Buddha was

meditating in a solitary grotto on a hilltop in Magadha,
the desire arose in Indra to visit him, and he accordingly

despatched his harpist, Panchasikha, to announce his
arrival.
The sculpture from Takht-i-Bahl representing
this scene, No. 787, shows the Buddha seated withinINTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

37

the cave. The little lions beneath the seat, as well as
the other animals in the back-ground, indicate both thewildness of the site and the peace which the Buddha's
presence caused to fall upon all creatures. The harpist
in No. 787 is shown at the (proper) right of the grotto,
while the kneeling figure at the Buddha's left is Indra
himself, distinguished in Gandhara sculpture by his pecu(787, central panel, 1909, 1942,
liarly high headdress.
1944.)

26. Conversion of the Yaksha Atavika. The story
goes that a certain king of Atavi, in order to save his
own life, had promised the Yaksha Atavika, living in aneighbouring forest, to give him one of his subjects daily.
The pact had been duly kept, and one by one the wretchedinhabitants had been handed over to the ogre, until there
was no one left to sacrifice except the young son of theking, and orders were accordingly issued to have him
led away to the monster.
But at this juncture the Buddha, whose sympathy appears to have been somewhat
tardy in this case, betook himself to the ogre's abode,and finding him absent, forced his way in and seatedhimself on the throne. The yakslids fury on discovering him there can be imagined, but was utterly futile,and the conclusion of the whole matter was the conversion of the demon. Thus, when the attendants arrived
with the young prince, the yaksha, instead of devouringhim, lifted him up in his arms before the Buddha andmade obeisance. This is the moment depicted in sculpture No. 471. (471.)

27. The offering of the handful of dust. It wasa daily custom of the Buddha, who enjoined the same
upon his monks, to wander abroad at a certain hourin quest of food, as the whole Order were dependent for
their sustenance upon the voluntary offerings of theOnce, as the Buddha was going along with his
pious.
begging bowl, held out before him, he met two little boys
playing in the road. One was suddenly moved to make

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

38

an offering, but having nought else to offer reached up
to the bowl and dropped into it a generous handful of
The Buddha was touched by this childish act of
dust.
piety, and some authorities assert he prophesied thatthe boy would become a mighty Buddhist monarch insome future life. In this way it is sought to identify
the child in this legend with the great Asoka. This
probably explains the frequency with which the scene
was sculptured. His companion is said to have becomea Minister during Asoka's reign. (150, 344, 433, 671,
759, 1554, 1708, 1776.)

The white dog which barked

at the Buddha.
Sravasti
of
while
in
the
Once,
(the modern
country
Saheth-Maheth in the United Provinces), the Buddha
went to visit a certain man named Suka, who was not
at home when he arrived. Now it so happened that
Suka had a white dog, which at the moment of his entrance, was eating out of a dish on the top of a couch.
For some reason the sight of the Buddha enraged the28.

dog mightily, and ho barked in fury. The Buddha
remonstrated, and told him that lie had fallen into that
estate because he had been so rich.
Thereupon the dog
toa

far corner. Suka,
returning, found the dog in this abject condition andasked what had happened. When he heard the story
he hastened to the Buddha to demand an explanation.

deeply mortified,

crept

away

But the latter suavely informed Suka that the dog was
his own departed father come back to life in canine form,and bade him, as a test, demand of the dog where hehad buried his treasure previous to his death. The
bewildered Suka did as he was told and to his astonishment the dog crawled under the couch and began to
When the place was opened up, the treasure wasdig.
disclosed and the truth of the Buddha's words demonstrated.

29.

(35 L, 794, 1417.)

The submissionof the Naga Apalala.

Apalalawas a Naga-raja, inhabiting the source of the Swat River,INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

39

north of the modern Peshawar District. Periodically,
own ends, he used to flood the country, causing
the inhabitants endless suffering. The compassionate
Buddha therefore betook himself to the Naga's abode.
His attendant, Vajrapani, smote the mountain side withhis mighty vajra, and so terrified the Naga-raja, that
he issued forth from his pool and submitted himself to
the Buddha, who preached the Good Law to him. He
was converted and promised to desist from ruining thecountry, but he pointed out to the Buddha that his own
nourishment depended upon these floods, as without
them he could not get the grain upon which he lived,
and so he was allowed to flood the land once every twelve
That is why floods occur in the Swat Valley atyears.
intervals of just twelve years
Cf. No. 28-L, PI. 5(a).
for his!

(28-L, 336, 428.)

30. Conversion oof aAiigulimala.

Ahingsaka, the son

Brahman of Kosala, was sent by his parents to the

University of Taxila where excelling the other pupils
he excited their envy. Determined to injure him theywent secretly to his professor, and accused Ahingsaka
The professorof taking improper liberties with his wife.
was not inclined at first to believe the accusation, but
his excited suspicions appeared to receive confirmation
on seeing that his wife spoke kindly to Ahiijgsaka, andhe determined to compass his pupil's destruction. As
this could not be done openly he informed Ahingsaka
that it would not be in his power to instruct him further
unless he destroyed a thousand persons and brought
their fingers to him as evidence of their death.
Ahingsaka replied that it was not customary in his family to
do evil to others, but seeing no other way of prosecuting
his studies he resolved, because of his love of learning,to carry out his professor's orders. Going into a forest
where certain paths met he began to murder all who passed,
As he cut off and wore the fingers of his victims horeceived the name of Angulinidla. (158, 816- A, 1371.)
D 2

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

40

When he had murdered nine hundred and ninetynine persons his mother, hearing that the ferocious robber
was her son, immediately went to see him and remonHe was about to kill her to complete
strate with him.
his tale of victims when the Buddha, who recognisedthat Angulimala had, from merit acquired in previous
births, sufficient virtue to enable him to enter the priesthood, set out to convert him. He arrived just in timeand, needless to say, succeeded in his mission.
In No. 1371 on the right is seen Angulimala with his
headdress of fingers preparing to slay his mother, thenon the left, having released her, he attacks with vigour
the Buddha whose gentle words, however, have sfrch
effect that the robber throws himself at the feet of theBlessed One. His cruel sword and hateful coronet straightway fall from him and are displayed on the lower edgeof the panel.

Two scenes of this drama are also represented in relief
No. 816-A.

A

certain
The nursling of the dead woman.
wives
of
the
seniorbeautiful
being jealous
youngest
king's31.

wife, who was with child, bribed the palace Brahman
to inform the king that not only was the young wife
herself ill-omened but also that the child born of her
would cause the destruction of both the king and his
kingdom. To escape these threatened calamities and at
the same time to avoid shedding blood, the king immured
her alive in a tomb. However, owing to the merit acquired by her and her unborn child in former births she,after death, was not only delivered of a living son but
was able miraculously to suckle him. For three years
this child Sudaya remained within the tomb, until thecrumbling of the wall enabled him to free himself. For
three more years Sudaya lived in the jungle with thebirds and wild beasts as his only companions, sheltering
each night in the tomb. (1885.)

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND..

The Buddha

filled41

with compassion for the child,and Sudaya despite his tender years
became a monk and later converted his father.

visited the spot

In the relief No. 1885 is seen the tomb with open
front whence projects the upper part of the body of thedead woman, her left side being depicted as almost askeleton whereas the right breast is represented roundand full as if that of a living woman. The naked little
child standing with his back to the tomb is Sudaya, his

clasped hands expressing his adoration of the Buddha
who advances towards him followed by a youthful
Vajrapani.

miracle of Sravasti. One of the acts
obligatory upon a Buddha is the confounding of theThis inheretics by the display of miraculous power.
the case of Gautama Buddha was performed at Sravastiin the presence of King Prasenajit and of a vast concourse of people, it consisted lirstly in a double miracleof walking in the air while emitting alternately flames
and waves from the upper and lower parts of his body,
32.

The

and secondly, in multiplying images of himself up to
the heavens and in all directions while he preached thelaw.

(85-L, 108, 158, 171, 280, 374, 375, 503, 847, 848,
1270, 1361, 1412, 1527, 1528, 1553, 1554, 1727, 1729,
1730, 1731, 1732, 1733, 1735, 1736, 1738.)
Representations of this double miracle of fire andwater are exceedingly rare in Gandhara but a recent
acquisition, No. 85-L, shows the Buddha in the air withstreams of water beneath his leet while flames issue fromhis shoulders.

In contrast with the rarity of this scene of the double
miracle are the numerous representations of the second
exhibition of Buddha's power. According to one text,"
Brahma takes a place at his right and Indra at hisleft while the two 'naga kings, iNanda and Upananda,
create a wonderful lotus on the corolla of wiiich theBlessed One seats himself. Then by the force ofSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

42

magic power above this lotus lie created another and on
this one also a Buddha was seated with his legs crossed".
and thus in front, behind, at the sides
Eepresentation of this act of the Miracle of Sravasti
appears to have met with popular approval and the Museum possesses more than twenty reliefs illustrating thislegend, PL 2(a). In its simplest form we see the Buddha
in the preaching attitude seated on a lotus between Indraand BrahnrI with a standing Bodhisattva on either sideand two smaller meditating Buddhas seated under sediculoo on the upper edges of the relief.
Cf. Nos. 158, 171.
Later the scene transforms itself into a kind of transfiguration where we see the Buddha in the midst of Boahisattvas, ndgas, and Buddhas and other attendant figures
while legendary scenes and even stupas are added, sothat the composition becomes a very epitome as it wereof the repertory of the school.
Cf. No. 1554.
33.

Makandikaoffers his

daughter to Buddha.

A wandering ascetic Makandika overcome by the Buddha's
personal beauty offers to him his beautiful daughter
Anupama. As the Museum contains several representations of this scene the legend appears to have been a
popular one, the self-control of the Buddha in refusing
so charming a girl proving no doubt most edifying to
the faithful. Makandika turning towards the Buddha
holds the shrinking and embarrassed Anupama by hisleft hand, his right holding aloft the water pot, indicative of his intended gift.
(133, 802, 806, 1922.)
34.

The invitation of

Srigupta.

Srlgupta, a wealthy

Rajagriha and the follower of a hereticalhouseholder
teacher named Purana, wishing to destroy the Buddha
and his monks, invites him to his house to partake ofa meal. In the courtyard of the house he digs a ditch,
fills it with burning charcoal and conceals this undera light covering and also poisons the food. The Buddha
ofknowing Srigupta's evil intent, but realizing he can beconverted to the right path accepts the invitation. By

INTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

4&

the power of the Buddha the fiery ditch becomes a tankof lotus flowers.
Purana and his followers flee before
this manifestation ofsuperiority, Srigupta confesses his
faults and becomes a follower of the Buddha, who fur-ther shows his power by rendering the poisoned foodinnocuous. In the fragmentary sculptures Nos. 82-L,
1079, 1849, we see lotus flowers supporting the feet of
the Buddha and of his entourage as they advance towards the gateway of the house. (82-L, 770, 1079, 1849.)
35.

The

of
the
sixteen disciples
To a Brahman ascetic named
Bavari living on the banks of the Godavari came another
visit

of

the

Brahman ascetic Bavari.

Brahman demanding five hundred pieces of money.

Not"obtaining these he cursed Bavari saying
May thy headon the seventh day hence cleave into seven ". A
benevolent deity of the place comforts Bavari who at hissuggestion sends his sixteen disciples to the Buddha thenin a rock temple of
Magadha. Each of the sixteen asksa question of the Buddha who resolves all their doubts.
(238, 1151.)

36. Hariti and Panchika. Apart from images of
Buddha and Bodliisattvas none are so frequently recovered by excavation in Gandhara as those of Hariti
and her spouse Panchika. Hariti, a demon of the yakshaclass was in the habit of

devouring the children of Kaja-

To impress her with the enormity of her conduct, the Buddha hid under his almsbowl the most beloved of her five hundred offspring, and when the mother's
heart was grieved pointed out to her how much moregrieved were those who by her misdeeds had lost all tLeir
griha.

Thereupon she was immediately converted.
image was found under the porchor in a corner of the refectory of all the Buddhist monasteries of India and that she was represented with a childin her arms and three or four around her knees, Cf.
children.

I-tsing tells us that her

Nos. 241, 1416. This mode of representing her disguised
so well the horror of her real nature that she was invoked

44

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

not only to cure sick children but also to bestow offspring. She thus became the goddess of fertility in all
senses and that is why she is shown as in Nos. 78-M and686-Mwith cornucopia. (76-L, 77-M, 78-M, 241, 282,
385, 686-M, 969-M 1093, 1096, 1101, 1151, 1243, 1244,?

1299, 1416, 1773, 1779, 1843.)

There can be no doubt that the male figure on Hariti's
right in No. 241, PL 7, and on whose left knee she sofamiliarly rests her right hand in Nos. 78-M, 686-M, if
not her spouse must have at least been considered so by
popular opinion. Formerly this figure was believed tobe Kubera, the Guardian of the Northern quarter andthe king of the yakshas, but in a text of the Chinese canon""
it is definitely stated
Hariti is the wife of Panchika
and it is Panchika, the genius of riches and the generalof Kubera that we see by the side of Hariti in such
sculptures as Nos. 78-M, 241, 686-M, 1093, 1299, 1416. His
lance indicates his rank as sendpati in the army of Kubera,
the purse marks him as the bestower of riches. In No.
78-M, the pedestal shows coins pouring from overturnedvases and the feet of both Hariti and Panchika rest on
piles of coins in No. 686-M.
Cf. No. 282.

As children and wealthare thecommonest wishesof the human heart it is not surprising that the"Goddess
Genius of Riches
should havereceived the greater part of the devotion of the faithfullaity and that images of the Tutelary Couple should be
so abundant.
of Fertility"

and the""Later and more uncommon images of Hariti are seenin No. 1773, PL 4(6), and in No. 1926.

37. Devadatta's

attempts to kill the Buddha.
Buddhist story is the Buddha's wicked
cousin Devadatta. This cousin could never endure his
kinsman's fame and success and is said to have done hisutmost to ruin him at all stages of his career. He iseven credited with having thrice attempted his life, once1)V hiie^ assassins, cf. Nos. 1844-D, PL 6(D), 1850,
again

The JudasofINTRODUCTION TO THE BUDDHA LEGEND.

45

by hurling a huge rock down upon him, cf. Nos. 1898,
1918, and finally by letting loose a furious elephant.
This last attempt took place at Kajagriha, and the elephant is shown in most of the sculptures just entering
the city gate. The attempt of course failed. The Buddha
simply laid his hand on the elephant's forehead and all
his fury left him. Cf. Nos. 145, 774, 1550, 1850, 1942.
(145, 774, 1550, 1844-D, 1850, 1898.)

A

certain
38. The visit of the Naga Elapatra.
bhikshu in the time of the Buddha Kasyapa destroyed
an eld tree for which action he was born later as a ndga
or water spirit named Elapatra. In the time of the
Buddha he inhabited a tank near Taxila and in orderto learn when he could again receive human form and,by becoming a disciple, attain final deliverance decided
to visit the Buddha then at Benares. Various accounts
are given but one text states that extending his bodyfrom Taxila to Benares his head reached to the spot
where the Buddha was while his tail was still in his palace
Then he bent his head before the world-honoured one
who said " Welcome Elapatra It is long since I haveseen you. Welcome Oh, Naga Kaja." (1716.)!

!

Another account says that using his magical power
Elapatra appeared first as a universal monarch, but when
reprimanded by the Buddha resumed his serpent form.
In No. 1716 we see the Buddha seated as in the First
Sermon with his five monks while before his throne isa polycephalous snake whose lengthy tail runs along thelower edge of the relief. Elapatra also appears as anextreme left of theadoring, princely personage on theindicatedisrealconditionby the cobra
sculpture but his

canopy over his head.
Hiuan-Tsang describes the tank of the Naga-rajaof Taxila and there
Elapatra as being 70 li north-west
is no doubt that its position is marked to-day by thetank of sacred fish at Hasan Abdal in the Sikh shrine

46

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

known as the Panja Sahib, an example of how sites remain sacred even when religions change.
39. Death of the Buddha. The Death or Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha is said to have taken place
after a short illness at Kusinagara, which some would
identify with Kasia in the United Provinces, on the 13thof October 483 B.C.
For the exact determination ofthis date we are indebted to the late Dr. Fleet.
As
indicated in the sculptures some of the Buddha's followers
were present at his death bed. The number of thesevary in the reliefs and only one need be mentioned here,
namely, Ananda, the beloved disciple, the fainting figure
before the couch. Where royal figures are introduced,
they represent the nobles of Kusinagara, the so-called
Malla chieftains. Cf. No. 1844, PL 6. In 975-M wehave a very rare representation of the enshrouding of the

Buddha.

(27-L,

130, 437-M,

697-M, 775, 975-M, 1319,

1844-E, 1846, 1883.)
40. Cremation of the Buddha Ananda is said tohave asked the Buddha what his wishes were in regard
to the disposal of his body, and to have been instructedto leave the whole matter to the discretion of theleadinglaymen of the neighbourhood. Thus it came about thatthe noble Mallas were charged with the conduct of thefuneral.
The same ceremonies were observed as were
performed at the death of a Universal Monarch. The
body was enveloped in five hundred pieces of cloth, andplaced in a coffin. This is variously described, but themost accepted tradition, is that it consisted of two large
iron receptacles used for holding oil, and called in Sanskrit taila-drom.
This preserved the ashes and saved
them from becoming mixed with the remains of the fire
itself, for the body was of course cremated.
In thesculptures we see the blazing pyre and sometimes theattendants engaged in pouring water on the flames toextinguish them. (484, 697-M, 1319, 1901.)

INTRODUCTION TO THE BTJDDHA LEGEND.

47

41. Guarding and distribution of the Relics.
After the cremation the Relics were taken in charge by
the Mallas, and subsequently divided into eight portions
under the supervision of the Brahman Drona, then distributed among the eight communities whose claims the
Mallas respected, and who built stupas to enshrine them.
Sculpture No. 484 represents the division into eight parts,
while the guarding of the Relics previous to this subdivision is

portrayed in No.

1319.

(484,

1319,

1846,

these

eight

1894.)
It

may

be

added

that

not

one

of

It is believed,
original deposits has ever been found.
however, that most of the original deposits were collectedin the 3rd Century B.C. by the Emperor Asoka, who re-divided them into a multitude of small portions and]t
distributed them in stupas throughout his dominions.
was probably from one of these later deposits of Asokathat King Kanishka, in the second century of our era,obtained those fragments which he enshrined in Peshawar
in a bronze relic casket and which were recovered by excavation in March 1909, by the late Dr. Spooner, PL 10.
plaster cast of this reliquary is exhibited in the Central
1
Hall.

A

The

cult of the Relics. That the Relics soand protected became objects of worcollected
carefullyisnothing strange and calls for no explanation. The
ship,

42.

cult is represented by Nos. 165 and 449, etc.

(164, 165,

166, 396, 449, 1356, 1387, 1435, 1725, 1901.)

1

The casket bears

inscriptions

stating that

it wasmade by Ageeilaos, thesuperintendent of works at Kanishka's vihflra for the teachers of the Scirvaptivadinschool, with the pious wish that the gift might redound to the welfare of all
creatures.

CHAPTER in.

THE SCULPTURES.
Religious piety has in all ages impelled its votaries to
dedicate to shrines and temples memorials of all kinds
likely to advance their own merit or strengthen the faithThat which in contemporary Christian art
of others.
itselfin frescoes and sculpture took in Ganexpresseddhara similar forms of which, however, only the more
durable sculptures now remain.

Scattered throughout the museum and arranged for
purposes of exhibition these give little indication of +heir
The friezes formerly adorned the faces
original purpose.
theof the smaller stupas, 1 or the risers of staircases
images were placed in chapels or in niches in the verandah walls of the monasteries, while the false niches, ofwhich so many fragments have been recovered, were
affixed to the domes of stupas appearing like dormer
windows. Cf. Nos. 633M, 1548, 1552. Modillion cornices
separated or surmounted the friezes, and acanthus capitals
were once part of Indo-Corinthian pilasters from the frontsof chapels, and only rarely from columns.
Atlantes,lions and elephants were used to support cornices andthe stone umbrellas formed^ the crowning members of;stupas.

In the later period stucco was used abundantly forthe adornment of stupas and walls generally and in thismedium were executed not only endless Buddha andBodhisattva figures but also legendary scenes, specimensof which appear in the collection.
Cf. Cases 46 and 52.
1 A
stupa of the Kushan period was a solid dome-like mass of masonry raisedon a square or circular plinth and erected to enshrine relics of the Buddha, or ofsome Buddhist saint or to commemorate some specially sacred spot. In Burmaa stupa is commonly known as a pagoda, in Ceylon as a dagoba, and in Nepal
aa a chaitya. Cf. photographs 1443, 1469 in the revolving case at the end of thegallery and No. 712 (Case 30) and No. 1846 (Case 77).

48

THE SCULPTURES.

49

Excavation has made it plain that reliefs and images
so multiplied that finally they invaded every corner ofthe monasteries and when courtyards and chapels could
no longer contain them they displaced even the monks

from their cells! 1
Entrance Hall. The sculptures exhibited in the
Entrance Hall are principally from excavations at Sahribahlol and Takht-i-Bahi but the four-armed HaritI,
No. 1926, is from the hamlet Harichand in the Charsada
Tahsil and the large standing Buddha, No. 1939, fromthe village of Lahore, the ancient Salatura, the birth;

The two magnificent Buddha images,
place of Panini.
Nos. 14-46 and 1447, flanking the arch were recovered at
Sahribahlol in 1909-10. The drapery, elongated lobesof the ears and the so-called webbing 2 between the fingers
are allUnexpected features inworthy of attention.
No. 1447 are the light moustache and the indication of
the pupil of the eye. The hole in the forehead indicatesthe position of the jewel which formerly marked theurna. With these colossal images may be contrasted
the delicately featured Buddha No. 239, the urna here
being indicated by a raised, mole-like projection. The
elaborate coiffure of No. 1157, long curly locks boundwith a fillet of pearls, seems to indicate the Bodhisattva

The standing Buddha
Maitreya, the coming Buddha.
with the begging bowl, No. 1163, was found at Takht-iBahi along with No. 1164, the larger figure beside it.
When complete, the bowl of the former exhibited thegrooving to which reference is made in paragraph 20of the Introduction.
Sahribahlol also yielded No. 242, the headless Bodhisattva in the right hand passage. This is interesting not
Marshall--<M<Ze to Taxila, p. 110, PL XXIII.
The fingers are not entirely separated only the last joints being free. In
all probability this originally was merely a technical expedient to strengthen thefingers but later appears to have been misunderstood and was taken to be one
The sculpof the physical characteristics of a Buddha like the urna (Introd. 7).
""
tors themselves sometimes depict thiswebbing even where technical reasonsscarcely demand it, as in 820 M. (Case L.)
12

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

50

only for its general excellence but more particularly fordrapery and the manner in which the upper shawllike garment covers but at the same time reveals the outTheline of the jewelled armlet on the upper left arm.
armletis shown on the bare right
form
of
this
precisearm. With this image should be compared the headlessBodhisattva figure, No. 1444, with the hands in dharmachakra-mudrd and the feet, crossed at the ankles,
The large Buddha torso,
resting on a small foot-stool.
No. 240, and the larger standing Buddha, No. 239, bothfrom Sahribahlol, are among the best sculptures in theMuseum. In both cases the drapery and hair are excelThe quietude and abstraction of thelently rendered.
markedcontrast to the vacancy or smug
areinexpression
satisfaction which characterises some of the later images,
as Nos. 1876, 1440, 87 L, but the headless goddess, No.
1926, by the stairs on the left side, surpasses them bothin interest and is remarkable for its non-Indian costume
and for the fact that it has four arms, in which respect
it differs from all the statues in the Museum save No.
There can be no doubt that this is intended for a
1773.
its

figureof Hariti (Introd. 36).

The colossal stucco Bud-dha head, No. 1910, was recovered in 1911-12 at Takhti-Bahi and traces of the feet of the image are still preservIn all these colossal figures the modelled there in situ.
ing tends to coarseness in marked contrast with Nos. 239

and 240.
In the Hall the sculptures are placed
Central HalL
not only in Wall Cases described in detail below but inthree Table Cases L, M, N, against the walls and piers of
To thethe side galleries and in the window openings.
right of the door is No. 241, the Tutelary Couple, one of
the best preserved reliefs in the Museum (Introd. 36),
PL 7. Though not of the best period the drapery andthe little yaJcshas on the pedestal still show some spontaneity, and considerable technical skill is displayed in
the modelling of the half averted faces of the protagonists.

THE SCULPTURES.

51

The opulent charms of the Goddess of Fertility find theirappropriate counterpart in the corpulence of Panchika
and the couple are the very embodiment of material
prosperity and accommodating benevolence.
Close to this is the fine relief No. 1944, depicting thein meditation in a cave, receiving theadoration of some divine or royal personages. 1 Of
particular interest is the dated Kharoshthi inscription
on the pedestal recording that in the year 89 a Buddhist

Buddha seatedmonk named Dharmapriya dedicatee! this sculpture inhonour of his teacher Buddhapriya and others for the
bestowal of health on his brothers. This date corresponds
to 2IC A.D. or, according to the more orthodox view,
166 A.D. From the modelling of the Buddha's face,
and the treatment of the hair and drapery it is plain that
this relief must be assigned to a period when the school
was in its full vigour, and is proof that long after thetime of Kctnishka the artists of Gandhara could, at leastin stone, execute works of considerable merit and employ
with peculiar appropriateness a great part of the repertoryof the school.
Although the Buddha, Panchika, Vajratheandprincely visitors arc all conventionalized,
paniskilful composition and the greatest technical skill are
still displayed, and it is impossible to deny the charmand fidelity with which the artist has depicted the trees,
birds and beasts of the Buddha's sylvan retreat.

Buddha Images.* Standing

against the

walls

and

piers of the side galleries of the Hall is an unrivalled collec2
tion of Gandhara images. These, with one exception,
The former areare of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas.
oronin the Hall,
standshand
theingallery
rightplacedthe latter in the left hand gallery. The monotonous
sameness of Buddha images is often remarked but acareful examination of the Peshawar figures reveals

The relief appears to depict the Visit of Indra (Introd. 25), the harpist on
the left being PaSchasikha and the kneeling elephant Airavata,2
No. 1427, the image of a royal female.
1

52

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

great diversity. From the nature of the case the garments
are invariable and the canonical postures are limited,
but the treatment of the hair, the features and drapery
bear witness to the versatility of the sculptors as well as
to the gradual decay of the school. The commonest
treatment of the hair is a naturalistic one, light wavy
strands over the high ushnlsha. Examples of this will beseen in Nos. 1439, 1921, 1008, 1928, 1429, 1601, 1880,
In No. 1921 the artist, untrammelled by tradition,506.
has ventured to bind the base of the ushnlsha by a jewelled band, in No. 1008 the ushnlsha is markedly unobtrusive.

theA less naturalistic but still pleasing treatment of

hair

is

seen

in

Nos.

1430,

PL

9(a), 1424,

1425

where the ushnlsha is treated schematically in little loose
A later treatment destined to achieve world-wide
curls.
popularity in later Buddhist art is seen in Nos. 1877,
1431, 1878 and 1448, where the whole head is covered by
In No. 1431 these, in keeping
little snail-shell-like curls.
with the canon, turn to the right, but in Nos. 1878 and
1448 the artist has been more careless or less orthodox.
But the greatest conventionality and decadence are seenin Nos. 1871 and 1875 where meaningless crescents cover
the head. These two images found within a few milesof each other possibly came from the same atelier.

The faces exhibit no less variety than the hair andbear witness to the varying skill of the artists. The
serenity and charm of No. 1928 are thoroughly in keepingwith the character of the Buddha. Nos. 1439, 1921
while still artistic masterpieces exhibit that tendency
towards heaviness common to all the colossal images.
1447.
Nos. 1429, 1449, 207 are products
Cf. Nos. 1446,
of the school at its best but Nos. 1452, 1880, 1877, 1878
mark a decline towards that final decadence to which
Nos. 1440 and 87 L are the pathetic witnesses.
The majority of the seated figures are in the preaching
attitude, but Nos. 1928, 1008, 1597, 1440, 1436 are shownin meditation and one late statue, 87 L, in the reassuring

THE SCULPTURES.

53

attitude abhayamudra, in which posture were formerly
all the standing Buddha images in this gallery.

The pedestals are of great interest and the simhdsana
and reliefs worthy of study. Most of them depict donors
adoring Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or cult objects, but on
No. 238 the story of the Sixteen Brahman Ascetics (Introd. 35) is most graphically and artistically treated.
Usually the haloes are plain but on that of No. 238
can still be seen an adoring Indra and No. 1424 is ornamented with a narrow foliated band, close to and parallelto the edge.

Image of Royal Female.

But the most remarkable

figure in this gallery is No. 1427, a royal female bearing
a small shrine, PL 9(6). The face is broad and flat andthe chin somewhat heavy. Above a jewelled fillet thehair is dressed high in waves, but below the fillet in little
schematic curls one of which falls in front of either ear.
The ears resemble those of Buddha and Bodhisattva
images, though the elongated lobes are missing. A
roughly cut dowel in the centre of the fillet seems to markthe position of a lost ornament, possibly a medallion

resembling No. 221.

The figure is clad in a short-sleeved robe falling toThis is close fitting above the waist and apfeet.
some light and diaphanous fabric but judging
ofparently

thefrom the drapery theskirt isof heavier material.

Ascarf hanging on the left side passing round the left upperarm and across the back and caught up on the left forein a graceful loop in front of the body.
arm

hangs

Bound the neck is a flat jewelled torque with a circular

metal,
pendant. A long flexible chain, presumablyleft shoulder falls almost to the rightpassing over the
ankle where the ends are joined by a jewel. Most of theleft displays a broad armlet ofright arm is lost but the
with
bands
nine paralleledges of seeming pearls. A
wrist and rings are worn on
theadornsbraceletof fineheavy

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

54

the thumb and two fingers of each hand.

In the hands,

fortunately preserved intact, is carried a small trefoil
shrine which must formerly have held an image or
C/. Nos. 1364, 1391.
reliquary.

Beneath the feet the Earth Goddess with outspreadarms is seen rising d mi corps from acanthus foliage as
though supporting the figure, which is probably that ofa royal personage.

The feeble indication of the folds of the drapery above
the waist by incised lines would appear to assign theimage to a somewhat late date but the figure is redeemed from mediocrity by the modelling.
Although this is undoubtedly a lay personage all theconventions of the Buddha and Bodhisattva figuresappear in the treatment of the hair, eyes, ears and chin,in the Praxitelean pose, the arrangement of the scarf
and in the representation of the Earth Goddess. It
seems unlikely, therefore, that any real attempt has been
made at portraiture.

Whether a halo decorated this figure is uncertain but
plain that something is missing on either side of the

it is

head.

The Bodhisattva figures in thesomeincludeofthe most striking productions
left gallery
Bodhisattva Images.

of the artists of Gandhara. Freed from the academic
frigidity and restrictions of the Buddha image they were,in the case of these transcendent beings, able to give rein

to their fancy and the sculptures bear witness to its exuberance in the treatment of the drapery, jewels andcoiffure.

Unlike the Buddha who wears the three monastic
robes the Bodhisattvas are clad in the two traditional
Indian garments, but these are draped in a way whichclearly betrays the hands of artists imbued with classic
A short skirt tied by an ornamental cord,
traditions.
the* ends of which fall in front of the body, covers theTHE SCULPTURES.

55

lower limbs to the ankles. The archaistio and schematic
treatment of the points of the garment, noticeably soin the standing figures Nos. 1872, 1866, PL 4(c), are featuresof special interest.
across the shoulders,

A long shawl-like garment passes

is wrapped round the left upper
thrownbehindandarm,hangs by the left side. The
other end usually falls in a graceful loop before the bodyand is upheld by the right arm. All the standing Bodhisattva images in this gallery wear sandals.

But it is in the jewels that the sculptors display theirgreatest ingenuity. Eound the neck is usually a flat,
jewelled torque, a flexible amulet carrier passes over theleft oLoulder and under the right arm, and a second thickflexible necklace hangs low on the client culminating infront in the heads of two monsters contending for a jewel.
Generally there is also another flexible necklace which

passes over the left shoulder and right upper arm where
it is prevented fromThis
slipping by a large flat armlet.
left
ornamentonthecoveredarm,
is,jewel-encrusted
by the upper garment but its outline is cunningly revealed beneath the tightly drawn cloth. Earrings, sometimes of elaborate form, as in Nos. 1428, 1438 and heavy
bracelets invariably adorn these figures.

In the Maitreya images the hair, bound by a jewelled
and falling behind the shoulders in wavy locks islooped above in a manner reminiscent of the Apollo
Belvedere. Cf. Nos. 1422, 1866, PL 4(c). In the caseof the other Bodhisattvas the hair is almost entirely
concealed by an elaborate headdress ornamented byjewelled dragons and other monsters as in No. 1438 or
by a plaque displaying a seated Buddha as in No. 1867.
Frequently a roughly cut wedge-shaped dowel in frontof the headdress marks the former existence of a sculptured ornament such as No. 221 in Case 11 and Nos.
1099, 1137 in Case 44. An uncommon treatment of
the coiffure is seen in the beautiful Bodhisattva headfilletE 2

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

56

No. 1879 where the hair falls to the shoulders in gracefulcurls.

The urna is usually a small raised projection but wasformerly marked by a jewel in Nos. 1604, 1879, 1438.
Figures with looped hair and holding a flask in theleft hand may with confidence be identified as the Bodhisattva Maitreya.
left

No. 1438 with a purse or loop in thehand is probably Avalokitesvara, but for want ofdefinite attributes the identification of Nos. 1869, 1605,

1600, 1435, 1925 remains somewhat doubtful.

Like the Buddha figures these Bodhisattvas exhibit
varying degrees of excellence. Among the finest areNos. 1868, PL 4(c), 1422, 1438, 1879, while Nos. 1867,
1866 seem to mark the school in its decline.

The pedestals of the standing Bodhisattva images
commonly show Bodhisattvas with donors, but thosewhich are seated exhibit more variety, Bodhisattvas intwo cases being replaced by cult objects, Maitreya's
flask in No. 1435 and an incense burner in No. 1870.
Table Case L. Excavations at Sahribahlol and
Takht-i-Bahi yielded the small sculptures in this case.
Elaborate compositions such as No. 1554 are the source
and 848 M, the latter being theof the fragments 812
front of a small chaitya or chapel. From Kasyapa scenes
come the alms bowl with snake, the Brahman ascetic
and the young Brahman 815 M.
Kasyapa, 811 M, 820
The hand with looped purse (?), 818 M, is seemingly
from a figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara while
are the left hands of Maitreya images.
and 850
849
lion fed by a little naked child, 822 M, is from thefront of the simhdsana (lion throne) of a seated Buddha
or Bodhisattva.

M

M

M

M

A

Attention may be drawn to the contrast between thefrom Takht-i-Bahi and the laterstucco figures 804-808
and decadent ones with protuberant eyes, 840-1 M, 843
a?rd 876 M, recovered at Sahribahlol,

M

MTHE SCULPTURES.

57

Table Case M. In this case are miscellaneous sculptures of considerable interest from various sources. Multiarmed figures are rare in Gandhara but 942
so depicts
Vishnu while in 676
we have a Siva with six arms.
Although these are Hindu deities the material and technique prove them to be of the later Gandhara school.
The six-armed polycephalic Siva closely resembles theimages on the reverse of certain coins of Huvishka.
goddess with goose, 941 M, is likewise seemingly a Hindu
deity but probably still later in date. Two scenes from
the Mahaparinirvana are shown in 697 M, and the Marriage of the Bodhisattva and the Life in the Palace in 701 M,
PfinrJiika and Hariti appear again in 686 M.
The former
not only carries a purse but, like his consort, rests his
foot upon a heap of coins. A votive stupa is seen in
633 M. The head 969
is, from its wild expression,
thatofPanchika.
With the stucco heads
undoubtedly
in this case should be compared those from Chinese Turkestan which clearly betray their indebtedness to theschool of Gandhara. Metal images of this school are uncommon but 695
in copper repousse is one of the rareIn943(a), (6), (c) we have three fine speciexamples.
mens of stucco heads still preserving traces of their original

M

M

A

M

M
M

M

from Tordher is
The steatite plaque 715
colouring.
not without interest and has its counterpart in 113M
in Case B.
Table Case N. The fragmentary sculptures in thiscase were excavated at Sahribahlol and Shah-ji-kl-dheri
in 1910-11.
In many cases, despite their fragmentaryitstill possible to state with some certainty
iscondition,
the compositions of which they once formed part. The
two right hands 740 M, 741
are from small Bodhisattva
comes from afigures, the snake in the alms bowl 742
Ka^yapa scene such as No. 1373 or No. 1549, as does
also 725 M.
Some representation of the unidentified
legend in No. 1844 (C) may have been the source of the
figure with bowed head, 726 M, while the head of theBrahman ascetic, 728 M, is probably that of K?.'yapa,

M

MSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

68

though it could possibly have come from such a sculpture
as No. 1373. From some forest scene as No. 1151 or
No. 1944 comes the damaged peacock, 739 M, and theBodhisattva, 723 M, seated in pensive attitude is froma composition of the nature of No. 1150. Panchika,
721 M, is from a representation of the Tutelary Couple.
Of. 241.

Want of space has made it necessary to exhibit sculptures in the four window recesses of the side galleriesof the Central Hall.
Windows in Right Gallery.
1. Three friezes, Nos. 1421, 1423, 1426, recovered at
Sahribahlol in 1909-10 seemingly illustrate one story.
This has not been identified with certainty but may bethat of the man who kicked his mother and was condemned in consequence to bear on his head a burningwheel. Cf. No. 1714.

2.

A

beautifulfrieze,

No.

1418,

though classic in
The vine may

feeling betrays the country of its origin.

be an importa.tion but the seeming cupids are more probably yakshas and the animals are certainly Indian.

For want of confirmative details it is impossible to recognise with certainty in No. 1432 a scene from the Visvantara Jataka, though this identification has been suggested.

1904 shows two scenes, one Mara's Attack(Introd. 19), the other unique and unidentified where
the Buddha appears to be addressing some mutilated
In the circular frieze No. 1899 are seen wrestlpersons.
3.

No.

ing, archery on foot and on horseback, representationsof the Bodhisattva's Martial Exercises (Introd. 9). Cupids

and garlands appear in No. 1419, and a Buddha of thelate period in 87 L.

A unique figure, a haloed but seem-

ingly lay personage bearing a bowl or lamp,

74 LV

is

seen inTHE SCULPTURES.

50

The torso 76 L

is from a relief of the Tutelary
such
as
No.
241.
The head shows considerable
Couplethesetindividuality,deepeyes with marked pupils givitaandvirileing
strongappearance in keeping with
Pafichika's character as sendpati. No. 1937 is part of
the acanthus capital of an Indo-Corinthian pilaster andNo. 1928 is one of the most beautiful Buddha figures in
the collection. In no other image in the Peshawar
Museum has the artist so successfully realized the peace4.

and serenity of Buddhahood.

Windows in Left Gallery.
1. Among the numerous reliefs in this window are
two recovered at Jamalgarhi in 1921-22. No. 1885 shows
two scenes in one panel, that to the left being one of therare representations of The Nursling of the Dead Woman
The(Introd. 31), the other still awaiting identification.
companion relief, No. 1884, depicts The Approach to
the Bodhi Tree (Introd. 18) with the tree goddess andMara and his daughter clearly recognizable but the naked
figure issuing from the throne remains unidentified.
2. Many of these reliefs are fragmentary but in No.
1887 is seen the Naga Kalika (Introd. 17) and No. 1894
shows the guardians of the relics outside the gates ofKusinara (Introd. 41). The death of the Buddha appears
in 1883 and several events in the Syama Jataka (Introd.

No. 1893 re2) are represented in No. 1891, PL 5(6).
sembles in certain details the First Meditation of theBodhisattva (Introd. 12) and may be so interpreted.
3. Several events anterior to the Enlightenment are
seen in the reliefs in this window, the Martial Exercises
and the Hurling of the Elephant in No. 1906 (Introd.
10), the Marriage of Bodhisattva in No. 1905 and the
Flight from the Palace in Nos. 1907 V 1908, while a scenefrom the later career of the Buddha appears in No. 1909,
a representation of the Visit of Indra (Introd. 25).
'SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

60

and smiling Bodhisattva
4. No. 1881 is a smalland No. 1451, one of the many KaSyapa scenes, while No.
1882, a small false niche,isdevoted to events in thecycle of the Kenunciation, (a) Life in the Palace, (6) The
Sleep of the Women, (c) The Departure from Kapilavastu.

In the last scene the horse Kanthaka is unusually wellpreserved and Mara clearly recognizable. In the Offering of the Four Bowls, No. 1934, which seems to be latein date, the Lokapala who has just handed his bowl to
the Buddha is dressed in Kushan costume.
contains a miscellaneous^assortment
fragments from Sahribahlol. The majority
are heads, either of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, Nc^. 15
and 17 being especially noteworthy for the delicacy of
their modelling and their apparent closeness to the HelleBut of greater interest is the headlessnistic prototype.
aofwarrior, No. 13, wearing a skirt of imbricatfigure
ed mail and bearing in his left hand a curiously shaped
shield resembling the Boeotian shield of the Greeks.
The lions originally formed part of the ornamentationof small stupas and separated the superposed friezes
precisely as do the elephants in Photographs 1443, 1469,
exhibited in the revolving frame at the end of the upper

Case 1.

of

Case

1

stuccogallery.

Case A. Exhibited in this case are fragand stone sculptures from Sahribahlol,
stuccomentary
few of the heavy nails with which theawithtogetherlarger stone sculptures were originally held in position.
is from a representation of the
The fragment 70
Dipan68
are allkara Jataka andM, 79 M, 83 M, 84 M, 88
A Hariti with cornucopia
details from Kasyapa scenes.
while she and her spouse Panchika appear
is seen in 77
theasTutelary Couple in 78 M. The base of
together
this sculpture is worthy of attention as it depicts overlapping coins falling from overturned jars, an approof these deities of Abunpriate detail in representations
Table

M

M

M

dance and Fertility.

THfi

SCULPTURES.

61

Of the other miscellaneous objects the most interesting are two copper spoons, 103-4 M, found in the monastic
quadrangle at Sahribahlol and a small fragment of ahalo, 108 M, consisting of a thin stucco facing, on astone backing, and preserving traces of the original
brilliant colouring of its ornament of radiating
goldenrays on a bright red background. The plaster cast of
one of the stucco friezes on a little stupa recovered at
Sahribahlol was taken as a precautionary measure andit is fortunate this was done as the ignorant and intolerantpeasantry of the neighbourhood subsequently demolished every particle of ornamentation on this monument.
C^ses 2-3. In order to appreciate the historical
position of the Gandh&ra school and to ascertain precisely
what it has contributed to Indian art, it becomes necessary to analyse the sculptures and to separate the archaic
or indigenous elements from the newer importations or
An attempt has been made to do this in thecreations.
classification of the sculptures in the upper galleries ofthe Museum, butiteither archaic or

newly introduced.

obvious that such can be
only
The majority of the sculptures are
partially successful.
highly complex, and partake of the characteristics of,or at least show elements appertaining to both the newand the older periods. Sculptures of this kind which
do not illustrate entirely either the one or the other,
but which, on the other hand, do directly illustrate thelife or the cult of the Buddha, have beenqlassified,according to the subject represented, as either Legendary
or Devotional, while single images of Bodhisattvas orof the Buddha have been collected into homogeneousgroups. But, wherever the fragmentary nature of agiven piece or its inherent simplicity has rendered sucha classification practicable, it has been designated asInispursuance of this plan, therefore, those stone
fragments from Sahribahlol which show artistic motifs
found on Indian monuments older than the Gandhara
school have been grouped together in Cases 2-3. The

62

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

modillion cornice represented by fragments Nos. 39 and
44 is not itself such an archaic element, as such modillions
appear in Indian art for the first time in Gandhara, but
the narrow line of sawtooth ornament above these modillions is an archaic element and explains the inclusion ofthese stones in this section. Nos. 40 and 41 show theancient Buddhist rail device surmounted by merlons.
Rails of this type were commonly built around stupas
in India proper and very highly decorated, as those willremember who have seen the beautiful rails of Amaravati, but in Gandhara they have been rarely found saveas a decorative motif. Cf. Nos. 1780, 1784, 1790. Nos.
45, 46 and 47 are good examples of the Assyrian honeyThis, although obviously of foreign origin, wasa very early importation into India, and is accordingly
included among archaic elements, although not itself

suckle.

indigenous. The idea of decorating windows, balconies
and small arches with figures of parrots as seen in Nos.
37 and 49 is also very ancient. Fragment No. 56 shows
an exceedingly common decorative device, kneeling figures
under ogee arches separated by pilasters of Persepolitan

type, where the capital is formed by animals reclining
back to back and supporting the architrave. The elephants in Case 3, Nos. 79, 80 and 81, represented askneeling, with upraised trunks, were placed originallyin the same way as the lions' heads described in Case 1.
good idea of the ornamental effect of this device canbe gathered from the plaster cast of the little stupa frieze
in Case A, but here the elephants are portrayed picking
up sheaves of grain and not with uplifted trunks. No.
97 is an inferior example of a full blown lotus frieze, of
which many beautiful specimens have been found elsewhere. The archaic bead and reel motif occurs on frag-Ament No.

106, the stone being otherwise unadorned.
No. 107 is a small piece of one of those stone umbrellas
which were placed, one above another, over the domeof a stupa to form the hti.
For stupas surmounted byumbrellas see Nos. 672 M, 1554, 1846, 1852.

THE SCTJLPTtTRES.

6&

Case 4. Of all the new additions to Indian art due
to the Graeco-Buddhist artists the most important is
the figure of the Buddha himself, No. 121, and closely
connected are the representations of the various Bodhisattvas, two of which are included in this case in order
to emphasize the fact that their appearance in Indian
A definitely foreign
art is due to the school of Gandhara.
motif is seen in No. 109, which shows a very gracefulscroll of vine leaves with bunches of grapes.
Althoughat least one occurrence of a bunch of grapes is known inarchaic Indian sculpture, the vine itself is not indigenous
to India, nor can its use as a scroll or border be traced
in older Indian art. No. Ill shows a modillion cornicesimilar to those in Case 1, but here both the modillious
themselves and their little Corinthian capitals are of HelleThe winged marine monster of No. 112 isnistic origin.
also borrowed from Greek art, as is the device of little
Erotcs carrying a long garland shown in fragment No.
The elaborate stone No. 116, shows an arrange115.
ment of concentric arches with decorated lunulate interspaces, which is itself of purely Indian origin, although
the decorative figures are largely foreign. Thus thekneeling Tritons in the spandrels are essentially Greek,
both in their origin and their application to such a space,though their adoration of the Buddha is an interestingillustration of how the Gandhara sculptors harmonizedthese foreign elements with their own conceptions. No.
117, showing the Buddhist rail, is of course as archaic
as No. 56 mentioned in Case No. 2, but the narrow borderof acanthus leaves preserved in this specimen is a new
motif and hence included in this division. The obviously
Greek origin of the Corinthian pilasters, Nos. 124 and125, need hardly be emphasised.

Table

Case B.

The majority of the miscellaneous

sculptures in this case are not of the Gandhara School
we see the Buddha on abut of later date. In 429
lotus throne with a long stalked lotus on either side,M

64

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

that on the left supporting a small Vajrapani, the oneon the right bearing a haloed worshipping figure. Although this was found by excavation in Peshawar, thematerial, styleand technique proclaim

it

an importa-tion.

Of particular interest is the Gandhara sculpture 427
M, the Buddha between two Bodhisattvas. That these
are not intended for Brahma and Indra is plain as thesetwo deities appear above the right and left shoulder respectively of the Buddha figure. Indra's characteristic headdress is noteworthy as is also his thunder-bolt (vajra).

The Bodhisattva to the right is apparently Maitreya andthe one to the left, if not then designated Avalokitesvara, is at least the figure destined to become so later.
Before the Buddha's throne is an adoring donor. Another Gandhara sculpture, No. 1942, shows in two panels
the Subjugation of the Elephant and the Visit of Indra.
A Tibetan Bodhisattva with sakti, 642 M, shows only too
plainly how far Buddhism in Tibet has wandered fromthat of Gandhara.

Two small steatite sculptures in the style of the Mathura School, a standing Buddha, 438 M, and a relief, 437
M, depicting the Offering of the Four Bowls and theMahaparinirvana are of interest on account of the contrast with their Gandhara prototypes and as evidenceof the movement, in early times, of cult and art objects
over considerable distances. With these may be comsimilar little figures, 689
andpared the two somewhat
thelikeBodhisattva
663
said
Metal
M.
690
M,
images,to have been found in the Ghurband Valley above Swat,
are rare in the Peshawar Museum. The purpose of sucha couple in amorous dalliplaques as 113M exhibitingarebutuncertain
is
ance
they
frequently recovered in
The
M.
715
excavations. Cf.
subjects carved thereonIn
wehave a very rare re975
secular.
are usuallyof the enshrouding of the Buddha (Introd.

M

M

presentation
39).

THE SCULPTURES.

65

Case 5. The significance of most of the scenes shownin this case will be clear from a reference to the brief
sketch of the Buddha's life given in the Introduction
and the detailed legends.
The first four reliefs, Nos. 127-130, depict the four chief
events in the Buddha's life, namely his Birth, No. 127(Introd. 6), his Temptation, representing the Enlightenment, No. 128 (Introd. 19), his First Sermon, No. 129(Introd. 22), and his Death, the Mahaparinirvana, No.
The symbolism on the front of the
130 (Introd. 39).
Buddha's seat in No. 129 is interesting, representing as
1
it does the Wheel of the Law borne upon a trisula, which
probably typifies the Three Jewels of the Buddhist world,

to wit the Buddha, the Doctrine and the Monastic Order.
The reclining deer on either side indicate that the sceneNo.
is laid in the Deer Park at Sarnath near Benares.
131 represents the Horoscope of Asita (Introd. 7), theRishi holding the infant Buddha on his lap being seatedat the spectator's left. The fragmentary scene to theleft deals with the adolescence of Siddhartha and includes
the Writing Lesson (Introd. 8) and riding upon a ram.
Cf. No. 151.

Of the three scenes in No. 133 only the centre one,
Makandika offering his daughter to the Buddha, has yet
been identified (Introd. 33). No. 134 represents the
Departure from Kapilavastu, when the young prince
abandoned his home to seek the way of salvation (Introd.
Two of the three scenes on No. 135 are unknown13).
but the one to the right is the Dipankara-Jataka (Introd.
No. 136 is a fragment from the legend of Kasyapa.
1).
This scene, amusingly drawn, shows the young Brahmans
mounting on ladders, to extinguish the supposed conNo. 138 reof water (Introd, 23).
flagration with jars

dream typifying the conception
presents Queen Maya's
is shown under the form of an
whoof the Bodhisattva,

1
Buddhist Art, PL I, where this is considered
Cf. Foucher, Beginnings ofas the taurine or nandi-pada symbol denoting the zodiacal sign Taurus (the Bull)
which presided over the Nativity of the Bodhisattva (Siddhartha).

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

60

elephant (Introd, 4). No. 142 is the slaying of the Elephant by the Buddha's wicked cousin Devadatta (Introd.
The Wrestling Match, one of the contests arranged
10).
with Siddhartha's betrothal to Yasodhara
connection
inis represented by fragment No. 143 (Introd. 9).
Of the
No.
the
on
two
four scenes
on the left are identi145,
fiable, namely the Offering of the Handful of Dust (Introd. 27) and the subjugation by the Buddha of the furious
elephant which Devadatta launched against him (Introd.
37).

Case 6.

The majority of the reliefs in this case arefragments of false niches which were built out on thedome of a stupa. The form of the complete niche isthat of the silhouette of a double-domed chapel, or thesame drawn in section, giving the trefoil arch. The
decoration, as can be seen from these fragments, consisted usually of a series of legendary scenes arranged
vertically in the centre, with panels of smaller abbreviated legendary scenes at the sides. But the very
curtailed form of the latter makes it often impossible
to say to what legend the scene has reference. Thusof such small scenes in this case only the second one on
fragment No. 150 can be identified tentatively as havingreference to the child's Offering of the Handful of Dust
(Introd. 27). But the presentation of the snake to Kasyapa is depicted in abbreviated form in the lowest panelof No. 149 and again in the third panel of No. 146, where
the left hand of the Buddha is now lost (Introd. 23).
The female with mirror in her right hand and parrot on
the left wrist seen on the left of No. 146 is worthy ofattention. No. 151 is another representation of the First
Writing Lesson of the child Siddhartha (Introd. 8) andthe badly damaged fragment No. 154, which originallyformed the central portion of a false niche, shows scenes
depicting the voluptuous life of the young prince in his
palace, his abandonment of the same and his departurefrom his home in Kapilavastu, in other words, the cycle
But the mostof the Great Renunciation (Introd. 13).

THE SCULPTURES.

67

valuable and interesting sculpture in this case is No.
152 depicting the attempted escape, from the convent, of
Nanda, Buddha's half brother, whom he had converted
malgre lui (Introd. 24). Nanda's futile attempt to hidebehind the tree which rises from the ground, disclosing
him to the Buddha is amusingly rendered. The fragment No. 153, actually part of No. 152, depicts the
Buddha in the air. Not only are his feet clear of theground but that he is high in the sky is certain from thefact that he is level with the Sun God, who, on a small
raised medallion, is shown seated in a biga.

Case 7. This section of the Sahribahlol collection
contains those sculptures which are neither single Buddha
nor Bodhisattva figures and yet are connected with thecult of Buddhism rather than with the story of the TeaThus Nos. 162-167 are portions of a frieze
cher's life.
depicting (1) the worship of the Buddha's turban. No.
163, (2) the cult of the Kelics, No. 165, and (3) the cult
The elaborate and ornamentalof the Bowl, No. 171-A.
nature of the turban shown on fragment No. 163 is explained by the fact that it represents the headdress ofthe prince Siddhartha, which was snatched up to heavenby the gods as recounted in the Introduction (14). It
should be noticed that the Persepolitan pilasters andthe ogee arches in all these sculptures are archaic elements, familiar in Indian art long before the rise of theGandhara school. More interesting than these friezes,
however, are sculptures Nos. 158 and 171, each representa Bodhisattva standing
ing a seated Buddha figure withon either side, apparently representations of the Miracle
In both Nos. 158 and 171 theof Sravasti (Introd. 32).
behind the left and rightandBrahmaIndraofpresence
Buddhatheofshoulders
respectively should be noted,
characterized
Indra beingby the thunderbolt and the
high

flat

headdress,

Brahma by his long hair.

On the base of No. 158 are three scenes, to right anabbreviated representation of the story of Angulimala

68

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

(Introd. 30), to left the Subjugation of the Naga Apalala(Introd. 29) and in the centre a seated Buddha with two
adoring figures on either side.
It was for a long time believed that the theory of theBodhisattvas originated very late in the history of Buddhism, and it seemed at first doubtful whether they
could be traced at all in so early a school of Buddhist
art as that of Gandhara. But such sculptures as the twounder discussion prove that Bodhisattvas were known
to the artists of Gandhara, and the more these sculpturesare studied, the more probable it appears that the theory
had already advanced very far even in those early centuries.
The Bodhisattva figures thus furnish the student withextremely interesting and valuable material, for among
the many problems connected with the Gandhara school,
few are more important than a correct differentiationand determination of the Bodhisattva types. In later
Buddhist art, in Tibet, Japan etc., the various Bodhisattvas are distinguished one from another by attributes,
but in the earlier school of Gandhara these are not always
constant. In sculpture No. 171, however, the standing
figure on the proper left of the Buddha holds a flask in
his left hand, while the one on the right holds in his upIn later
raised right hand a lotus flower now damaged.
art these are the attributes of Maitreya and Avalokitesvara respectively, and it is safe to assume, therefore,that these are the Bodhisattvas depicted here as wellas in the precisely similar sculpture No. 158. It is ofinterest to note that in both cases Avalokitesvara wears
a high headdress while Maitreya has merely an elaborate
This distinction is of importance when concoiffure.
thesculptures in the next section.
sidering

Cases 8-9. These cases contain only fragments of
The peculiar coiffure noticesingle Bodhisattva figures.
able in No. 184 seems to indicate that the figure represents
Maitreya. The absence of the flask here is immaterial
for this is an attribute especially of the standing figure,THE SCULPTURES.

69

whereas in Tibetan art the hands of the seated Maitreya
are regularly shown in this position. The importanceof the headdress is thus made evident
indeed it is specialin
one
of
the
later
Buddhist
texts, andly emphasizedfrom the analogy of Nos. 158 and 184 it seems probable
Maitreya is also represented by Nos. 175, 180 and 181.
The hand No. 185 is marked by the alabastron or unguent;

flask as belonging to some Maitreya figure.
Similarly,
fragments Nos. 172, 182 and 183 appear to be hands fromfigures of Avalokitesvara, on the analogy of the left

hand of the figure of this Bodhisattva in No. 158. As
was noticed in connection with this figure and the one
No.

is depicted as wearing a
These sculptures are too small to permitof much detail, but in general the headdress resembles
those in fragments Nos. 176, 179, 188 and 200, PL 4 (a).
These all show as a common feature a circular disc witha tapering tenon. Its purpose is explained by the small
sculptured medallion No. 221 in Case 11 which is mortised
to receive such a tenon. Cf. Nos. 1099, 1137. The fact,in171, Avalokitesvara

high headdress.

,

furthermore, that these medallions show a seated Buddha

with his hands in the attitude of meditation or dhyana,
confirms the proposed identification of these Bodhisattvas with Avalokitesvara, for in later art he regularly
wears in his headdress a small seated Dhyani-Buddha
AmitSbha. This would make it appear, therefore, that
this tiny Buddha is a representation of Amitabha.
Butthis divinity has hitherto been supposed to be a comparatively recent addition to the pantheon, and his
occurrence at so early a stage of Buddhism is not yet

The two Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara andandthe Bodhisattva Siddhartha, No. 1739,
Maitreyaestablished.

PL 1, are the only ones yet identified with certainty in
Gandhara. 1

But the little head No. 192 in Case 9 has
so distinctive a pose and so individual a headdress, thatit seems probable that some other particular Bodhisattva
1

Unless wo identify the small Bodhisattva in No. 280 with Manjufri.

F

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

70

intended and the striking similarity between thisand the one numbered 950 in the Takht-i-Bahi collection(Case 39) is strong confirmation of this hypothesis. But
in our present ignorance of the emblems and attributes
associated with this type, no complete figure having yet
been found, it is impossible to determine its identity.
Of the other fragments in Case 9 the only one calling formention is the large and shapely hand, No. 190, withthe so-called webbing between the fingers. That thisis the hand of a Bodhisattva, and not of a Buddha, isshown by the bracelet the Buddha himself, being amonk, wears no jewels.
is

;

;

Cases 10-11.

As Buddhism developed, the theoryof the existence of Buddhas in past ages of the world andothers still to come advanced along with the doctrine ofthe various Bodhisattvas. But for a number of reasons
the historical Gautama has at all times towered fur above
the other Buddhas, so that, especially in the case ofearly art, there is hardly any question of differentiating
Buddha images. They can all be identified with Gautama
with reasonable certainty, except where there are peculiar
reasons for supposing that some other Buddha is intended. 1
That the eight Buddhas were known to the artistsof Gandhara is proved by such sculptures as the one"
Buddhist
pictured by Griinwedel on page 130 of his
Art in India", 2 but there is absolutely no evidence
to show that the worship of any of these as individuals
had advanced sufficiently in the Gandhara period towarrant separate images. It is not strange, therefore,that there should be a certain similarity between them,Butsince they all represent the one great Teacher.
this similarity never extends to identity, and the carefulobserver will notice a very pronounced variety among
the sculptures even in this Museum. Thus, to mention
1
Cf. the remarks above (Cases 8-9) concerning the figure on the medallion
No. 221 and also the Dlpankara-Jataka (Introd. 1).

*

Of.

also pp. 181 and 188.

THE SCULPTURES.

71

is moustached (cf.
sometimes it is clean shaven as
in No. 212
sometimes the right shoulder is bare asNos. 220, 227 and 234 or it niay be draped as Nos. 208
and 210. The hair may be naturalistically represented as
waved and brushed back from the forehead, which is
supposed to be the original Hellenistic treatment (cf.
Nos. 212, 226, 227, etc.), or it may be arranged schematically in little curls as in figures Nos. 210 and 234
the latter arrangement being more in keeping with thecanon, where this peculiarity of the Buddha is mention-

externals only, sometimes the figure

Nos. 223, 232, 233, etc.)

;

;

;

;

modelling and ex*pression, the variety is infinite.
Cf. Nos. 207, 209, 226
and 233 in the Sahribahlol collection. Between suchextreme periods as are represented by heads Nos. 207
and 226 on the one hand and Nos. 398, 403, 1440 on the
Indeed,other, still greater divergences can be noticed.
the more the figures are vstudied in detail, the more noticeable are the differences, while that which is common to2
all tends to fade into relative insignificance.
ed.

Asfor thesubtleties

Of the fragments

in

of

the

facialSahribahlol collectionin

The begging bowl
particular, little remains to be said.
in the hand of the graceful figure No. 208 is interesting
as showing the grooving along the edge explained in the
Introduction. No. 210 is not a simple Buddha image
but from a Kasyapa scene such as Nos. 1376, 1577 (Introd.
The " webbing " between the fingers is again notice23).
able in the case of the damaged hand No. 211, while theunusual similarity between the heads Nos. 212 and 233
makes one wonder if they are by the same artist. The
two arms numbered 213 and 214, it will be noticed, arenot broken from their statues, but are separately carved
No.
pieces originally added to the figures as a whole.
227 is quite iminjured save for the right knee, and is
one of the best pieces in the collection. The colouring
1

Now m the Central Hall.

9

Cf. p. 51 et 8eq9

72

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

about the eyes is interesting as an indication of the well-known fact that in ancient times these sculptures, likethose of Greece, were vivified and animated by painting
and gilding. 1 One can well imagine what a wonderful
difference it must have made, when they were all resplendent with gold and colour, with their haloes marked
out in a series of radiating rays of gold on a back-groundin Tableof brilliant red, like the little fragment 108
Case A. Their early worshippers would scarcely recognize

Mthem in their present sombre garb.
Case 12. -The sculptures in Case 12 are a miscellaneous and unclassified collection presented to the Museum
by Major 0. B. Rawlinson, C.I.E. The findspots of theseveral pieces are unknown, but the fragments are inThus theteresting and valuable for their own sake.
well sculptured fragment No. 247, representing the DIpankara-Jataka (Introd. 1) is an excellent illustrationof the artistic method of the older, indigenous school ofIndian art. The various acts in the drama are all shown
simultaneously as parts of one composition, the same
figures being repeated as often as necessary to carry theaction forward. Gandhara art, itself, rarely represents
consecutive scenes in this way, more frequently depicting the various episodes of a story in a series of separate
panels arranged in chronological sequence from right to
But in the older school these combined composileft.
tions are frequent and it is probable that the retentionof this method in the portrayal of this particular scene
Jataka scenes areis due to some distinct tradition.
inthecommonerthanin Gandhara,olderschool
much
of
the
the
and
representation
Dlpankara legend may
have become stereotyped before that school arose. Another peculiarly interesting, and it is believed uniquecomposition, is that of fragment No. 251, representing
the dream of Queen Maya, the mother of Gautama. No"
1Song-yun (c. 520 A.D.) mentions beautiful images at Po-lu-sha as coverin Table Case A and 943
ed with gold sufficient to dazzle the eyes." C/. 108
M(a), (6), (c) in Table Case M.

MTHE SCULPTURES.

73

other bas-relief of this scene shows the queen with herback to the spectator, but that this was necessary, once
her head was placed to the left, has been explained in
the Introduction. The chronological sequence running
regularly from right to left helgs very often to determine
the meaning of a fragment. Thus the scene to the leftof the queen's dream should represent some incident

subsequent to the dream itself. We see the royal couple
seated side by side, turned toward a figure on the left
now lost so that, in view of the position of the scene,;

wecan, despite its fragmentary condition, identify itwith entire confidence as the Interpretation of the DreamThe fragment No. 250 is from the left of a(Introd.
5).

Marriage of the Bodhisattva andshows Yasodhara with train upheld by an attendant
about to circumambulate the sacred fire. Cf. Nos. 701
M, 1905. The last scene to the left represented the LifeNo. 259 where the Buddha
in the Palace (Introd. 13).
and his attendants stand on lotus flowers is probably thereliefdepicting theinvitation of Srigupta (Introd. 34). The little seated
Buddha in No. 260, on a background of acanthus leaves,is a fragment of a large Corinthian capital, as can be seenfrom No. 326.

But perhaps the most valuable sculpturein the case is the remarkable head No. 268.

Portraitureis extremely rare in Gandhara, but it seems probablethat we have here portraiture of considerable strengthand power. The incipient krobulos on the top of the head,
however, is difficult to explain. Cf. Nos. 1768, 1770.

Case 13. This case contains a miscellaneous collection presented by Mr. Pipon, I.C.S., and others. No.
269, a fragment from a sculpture representing the Miracleof Sravasti was given by the late Sir Harold Deane,and shows an unusually animated Naga figure
The flowers,amirisingcorps from, out of the water.
No. 274, from some large composition are worthy ofnotice.
No, 280 received from Mr. Wilson Johnston,
LG.S., is of special interest, being one of the few inscribed
K.C.S.I.,

74

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

1
The inscription, in the
sculptures n in -..the Museum.
from
Kharoshthi character, reads
right to left and isdamaged at either end but apparently refers to the giftof a Buddha image by one Sadhakamitra.

The languageof the inscription is a local form of Prakrit.

Case 14. The seven cases 14 to 20 contain the valuable collection presented to the Museum by P. J. G.
Pipon, Esq., I.C.S. They have been classilied on thesame principles as the Sahribahlol collection being divided into groups according to the nature of the sculptures.
Case 14 contains those fragments which illustrate chiefly
archaic elements in the art of Gandhara, whether truly
indigenous or of earlier importation. Among the latterare the Persepolitan pilasters with animal capitals on
fragment No. 309, and the remarkable seated figure

No. 322, which was evidently winged. Figures of this""in GanAtlantes
general type are called genericallydhara art, from their having been used to support columns
or cornices. Their application to this use was current
in the oldest known school of Indian art, and therefore
the present sculpture has been included in this section.
But it must be acknowledged that it is one of the mostdistinctly non-Indian images in the Museum, and it
might perhaps have been included with equal propriety
among the newer foreign elements in Case 15. The
extraordinary way in which the hair and beard are represented, in a kind of corkscrew curls, the floral wreath
about the head, and the singularly deep setting of the
Indeed, so far as theeye, are all noteworthy features.
treatment of the eye is concerned, this figure will compare favourably with any other in the Museum. Not
only are the eyes more naturally sunken than in mostcases with the muscles of the eyebrows well advanced
over them, but the artist has even succeeded in representing a distant, dreamy gaze by his treatment of the upper
lids, all showing a grasp of the principles of plastic art
t These are Nos. 280.

347, 501, 628, 1944.

THE SCULPTURES

75

considerably in advance of what is usually met with inbe it added, hardly in keeping withthe anatomical defects of the sculpture. One of thethis school ; and,weakest points in Gandhara art is illustrated by fragments Nos. 305 and 319 which are portions of an elephantfrieze.
Almost every other object in this school is drawn

with greater fidelity to nature, but the elephant, possibly
because of its rarity in this part of India, is almost always as misshapen as the elephant of a Noah's Ark."
An example of the opposite extreme, of minute and careful observation and accurate delineation, is afforded by
the plants represented in sculpture No. 1151, the bauhinia
foliage exhibiting great fidelity to nature.

Of the sculptures in this section, illustratin Gandhara art, there is little toelements
ing foreign
since
all
almostsay,
represented here have already been
met with in the Sahribahlol collection. It is hardly
necessary to call attention to the large and beautiful,sculpture in the centre of the case, No. 336. In themain principles of its composition it resembles No. 116,
already discussed but in excellence of execution andperfection of preservation, the present stone is greatly
The legend represented in the largest andsuperior.
lowest of the central scenes, namely the Submission
and Conversion of the Naga Apalala, is given in the
Introduction 29, of. 28 L, PL 5 (a). No. 330 is interesting
as having apparently formed part of a frieze of winged
sphinxes but it is too badly damaged to permit ofaccurate judgment. Fragment No. 331 is believed to be
unique. It is manifestly a winged angel wearing thelong himation and the shorter khiton of the Greeks, andrepresented as blowing a long trumpet. In other words,
it appears to be an altogether orthodox Christian angel,so much so that it seems startingly out of place amidst
such purely Buddhist surroundings, though it should beborne in mind that it is not more essentially Greek thaneverything else in this case. After all, the differences
Case 15.

;

;

76

SCULPTURED IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

between it and the winged spirits hovering above theBuddha's head in No. 374, for example, are not very
great ; for the nudity of the latter is quite as distinctively
Greek in origin as the costume of this draped angel. As
in the case of the little figure among the foliage of thecapital in fragment No. 326, its presence here and inlater European art can only be due to their both having
sprung in part from a common source, probably to besought for in the little known art of Asia Minor, which
Strzygowski has shown to be the source of many motifs
hitherto supposed to be of Roman origin.

Case 16. -The legendary scenes in this case are ofgreater interest than the fragments in the two preceding
sections, but unfortunately all have not yet been identified.
Among those already met with are the Queen's
Dream, No. 350 (Introd. 4), the Birth, No. 359 (Introd.
6), the First Writing Lesson, No. 347, which has an addedinterest in that the writing board shows a few Kharoshthi characters supposed to have been written by the
infant genius (Introd. 8). No. 345 seems to depict Siddhartha's departure from his home in Kapilavastu (Introd. 13) but certain of the features which usually distinguish that scene are here wanting. There is, however, no doubt, that No. 343 is from the left of a relief
depicting this scene and we see Mara on the right withhisarmy in the upper part of the relief while the dis-consolate City Goddess, nagaradevatd, of Kapilavastu iseasily recognizable in the female with crenellated crownon the extreme left. Cf. No. 572. The farewell of theprince's horse Kanthaka at the moment when the Bodhi-

sattva dismounted after his flight from Kapilavastu isseen in No. 354, the figure to the extreme right beingThe
the grief -stricken groom Chandaka (Introd. 15).
Temptation (Introd. 19) is rather sketchily represented

by No. 355 and with more detail in No. 352.

No. 353a unique relief depicting with noticeable restraint theTemptation of Lust by Mara and his three daughters(Intaod. 19). Fragment No. 349 represents the FirstisTHE SCULPTURES.

77

Sermon at Benares (Introd. 22) and No. 344, the Offeringof the Handful of Dust (Introd. 27).
No. 357 shows the
Buddha and his monks as guests in the house of some
wealthy female who is about to make a donation as
indicated by the water pot held before her.

isCase 17. Of the devotional sculptures in this casethe only one calling for special mention is No. 374, thefragment of a representation of the Miracle of Sravasti
on an unusually large scale (Introd. 32). The denizensof the watery world and the deeply cut mass of the divine
flowers over the head of the Buddha are the most interesting features of this sculpture. Cf. Nos. 158, 171, 1553,
1554.

The sculptures here call for no particular
notice, though attention may be drawn to the well
executed group No. 375, showing a central Buddha with
Case 18.

a smaller Bodhisattva on either side. This attempt toemphasize the superior importance of a given figure by
representing it physically larger than its surroundings
is a device familiar to early art in various parts of theworld but as the art of Gandhara is in no sense primitive

we to see in this a case of artistic regression ? 1 Be
that as it may we notice in our sculptures an increasingaretendency to exaggerate thesize of the principal figure
until finally the figure of the protagonist becomes as itwere an independent image. Cf. Nos. 1577, 1739, PL 1.
No. 380 again shows the City Goddess of Kapilavastu

and No. 384 a double-domed chapel of which structural
examples still exist at Takht-i-Bahl.
Case 19. The Bodhisattva images in the Pipon Collection are remarkable for their manifestly late date, as
indicated by their comparative decadence. No. 393,
which may perhaps be a Maitreya, is a good example"

Indischer Typus ",of what Professor Griinwedel calls theinto which the Greek art of Gandhara degenerated. This
1 It must not be
forgotten, however, that the stature of the ftaddha was ,in any case, believed to be double that of an ordinary man.

78

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

apparently a transitional form between tlie original
and essentially foreign ideal of this school and the later
idealized type of Indian art upon whose excellencies
But that either figure No. 393
certain critics so insist.
or 398 marks a step forward in the representation of thedivine, as compared with the older figures in Gandhara,
is a theory which it would seem difficult to maintain.
isCase 20. The Buddha figures in the Pipon Collection
are also unusually late and particularly interesting forthis reason, the extraordinary figure No. 403 being oneof the most marked instances of degeneration in theMuseum. Cf. No. 1440. The drapery has almost ceased
to have meaning, while the face itself is ludicrous, thewide open eyes with their bulging pupils giving the figure
an expression of frightened surprise, far removed fromthe meditative, almost divine quietism of the best pieces.
Another type of decadence is that shown in No. 407,
which, however, is not without its own merits, and isprobably

much older than No.

403.

The

total effect,aided by the canonical treatment of the hair, is curiouslythat of a negro head. The same is true, in much lesser
degree, of the large mask No. 402, but perhaps this isdue in a great measure to the damaged condition of thenose.

Case 21. The sculptures in this and the two following
cases were purchased locally in 1903 and include a number

most admirable pieces. The very deeply and clearlycut fragments Nos. 420, 421, 422 and 424 representing
for the most part Brahman ascetics, are particularly fine,
but the legends they recount have unfortunately not yet
been identified. No. 428 represents the Submission of
the Naga Apalala (Introd. 29), the Naga and his spousebeing the two figures with the snake-hoods, seen risingfrom the tank at the spectator's left. No. 433 is anotherrelief of the Offering of the Handful of Dust (Introd. 27)
and No. 439 an admirably clear example of the DlpanThe miraculous suspension
kara Jataka (Introd. 1).
ofTHE SCULPTURES.

79

the lotuses about Drpankara's head, and the subsequent adoration by the youth from his elevation in
the air are quite distinct here, whereas they are lost in
the example of this subject in No. 247.
ofCase 22. Perhaps the most interesting relief in thisis No. 457 showing the young Prince Siddhartha's

case

in the Palace of Kapilavastu (Introd. 13).
The^scene
here placed on the right, indicating its precedence intime to the scene on the left, the Great Renunciation,
where the yakshas supporting the feet of the horse areespecially clear.
Sculpture No. 455 depicts the First
Sermon (Introd. 22), the scene to the right being themeeting with the Nfiga Kalika. No. 449 shows theworship of the Relics of Buddha subsequent to his crema-

life

is

tion (Introd. 42).

Case 23. The Cremation itself is represented by thesmall fragment No. 484 which is here followed on the leftby the Distribution of the llelics (Introd. 40, 41). In
the latter scene the figure seated behind the table is theBrahman Drona. No. 471 is apparently the story of thedemon Atavika, who having just been converted by the
Buddha abstains from devouring the child and presents
him to the Buddha (Introd. 26). But the most importantfragment in this case is No. 463, which is part of the" edge"of one of the umbrella discs forming the so-calledhti
above a stupa, the interest being due to the two heads
which appear to show portraiture superior to even thatof the remarkable head in the Kawlinson Collection.

The sculptures in this case are from a
The two excellent Buddha figuresvarietyNo. 489 and No. 490, together with the more debased type
No. 488 and the admirable standing image of Maitreya
Bodhisattva No. 495, were found by a peasant in the
Swabi Tahsil and purchased by Government. The inCase 24.
ofsources.

teresting winged Atlas No. 496 was recovered at Jamalgarhi, as also the well preserved little group No. 497.

This represents Garuda, the king of the Birds, snatching

80

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

up a snake deity or Ndga by the snake-like projection
at the shoulder. This serpent-like portion is broughtround the right of the Garuda's head and caught in its
beak. The particular interest of the group, however,L
is due to the theory supported by Professor Griinwedelthat at the back of such representations of Garuda and theNagas or Nagis lay a memory of the famous group by
Leochares representing the eagle of Zeus snatching up
Ganymede to be the cup-bearer of the gods and the;general similarity in composition is certainly striking.
But, if the rape of Ganymede really does lie behind thesesculptures, they well illustrate the process of Indianization to which such Greek motifs were subjected in Gandhara, and show how these exotic forms were adapted
locally to the cult and service of the Indian faith.
Sculptures Nos. 491, 493, 494, 498, 499, 500 and 502 wererecovered at Rustarn by Mr. J. G. Hennessy and presented
by him to the Museum. The peculiar greenness of thestone is noticeable. Fragment No. 499 is a particularly
striking piece, and really a very clever bit of composition.
It represents, in all, seven Niigas or Nagis, it is difficult
to tell which, all distinguished by serpents' hoods, and all
bearing what seem to be umbrellas. Those at the bottomof the group rise, as usual, only half out of the water inwhich they were supposed to dwell. This, itself, is acommon characteristic of such figures. Of. No. 269.
But that a precisely similar concealment for the bodies of
those above should have been effected by the judicious
utilization of the umbrella motif, whose introduction
may be due to the legend which the whole was meant toportray, is very striking, and reflects considerable crediton the artist's ingenuity. The small inscribed fragment
No. 501 was purchased from a peasant at Jainalgarhi.
The inscription, which is in cursive Kharoshthi, is incom"
in honour of allplete but states that the image was a gift
the
".
No.
of
MiracleSravastI show503,
beingsSculpture1

Buddhist Art in India, p. 108.

THE SCULPTURES.

81

ing a central Buddha figure with a Bodhisattva on eitherside, and presented by J. A. 0. Fitzpatrick, Esq., I.C.S.,
is remarkable for depicting Avalokitesvara on the left of
the Buddha in the place of honour usually reserved for
Maitreya, here standing on the proper right. That the
sculpture is decadent and late is perfectly obvious, andtogether with No. 848, might seem to suggest that, even
within the limits of Gandhara, the cult of the Bodhisattva underwent a long course of development, longenough to admit of Avalokitesvara coming to precede
the older Maitreya in popular estimation were not the two
Bodhisattvas found in the same positions in Nos. 1727
and 1729, the latter of which betrays no evidence of a
In all probability these variations are due tolate date.
the forgetfulness of the sculptors or to a recognition of
the equality of Maitreya and Avalokitesvara. Similarinterchanges of position in the case of Indra and Brahma
are not unknown.

Cases 25-29. The excavations at Charsada and Rajjar carried out by Sir John Marshall, Director General ofArchaeology, and Dr. Vogel, in 1903, are described in the
Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey, 1902-03, andreference may be made to that publication for a detailed
account of the sculptures and other antiquities thenrecovered. The sculptural fragments in Cases 25-28 arefrom the site known as Palatu Dheri, and those in Case 29
from Ghaz Dheri, both near Rajjar, just beyond Charsada. But the majority of the fragments show elements
and motifs already met with, and special reference need bemade only to the very beautifully sculptured legendary
scene No. 568 in Case 26, to the interesting fragment of
the Great Renunciation, No. 572, where the disconsolate
goddess of the city, the nagara-devatd, is particularly welldrawn (Introd. 13), and to the remarkable stone No. 602,
in Case 27, showing an empty seat or throne with a worshipping haloed figure at either side. In the older schoolof Indian art, where the figure of the Buddha is neverrepresented, such an empty seat with or without someSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAK MUSEUM.

82

sacred symbol would be the usual method of indicating
the divine presence, but in the art of Gandhara no such

symbolic portrayal is known. Fragment No. 602, thereis either a unique survival of the archaic school,or what seems more probable, the stone throne for a now
missing Buddha figure such as No. 1760 or for an image
No. 626, in Case 27 bears a fragmenof gold or silver.
Kharoshthi
inscription from which it appears thattary
the lost image was the gift of a person whose name isunfortunately obliterated. Tn Case 28 attention may be
drawn to tlie heads numbered 629, 631, 635 and 636;
and in Case 29 to the unusually delicate scroll in low
relief on fragment No. 657.
Fragment No. 675 again
is an excellently sculptured relief showing two seatedroyal figures while No. 677 is a large head belonging
evidently to the earlier period of Gandhara art.
fore,

Cases 30-34 contain the stone sculptures
excavations at Ta.kht-i-Bahi in 1908.
therecovered
The work was largely limited to the lower court of themany little stupas, between the upper court of the main
stupa and the monastic quadrangle and is described in
the Reports of the Archaeological Survey. 1 The monastery at Takht-i-BahT is too well known to call for any
But despite the interest that has
description here.
attached to it for so many years, no satisfactory identiTt was unfication of the site has ever been proposed.
centreaoftheBuddhistcult,very important
doubtedly

Case 30.

inand was certainly occupied

for centuries, apparently
thegreater
portion of the Gandhara period,
throughout
as is witnessed by the wide range in artistic execution
noticeable in the sculptures. But the only definite dateso far recovered in connection with the site is 47 A.D.
(according to Professor Griinwedel), this being the equivalent of the date occurring in the important inscription from Takht-i-Bahl, containing the name of the Parthian prince Gondopharnes, to whose court the Apostle'Appendix*

THE SCULPTURES.

83

St. Thomas is reported to have gone by divine command. 1

Takht-i-Bahi was excavated in 1871 by Sergt. Wilcher
with a company of Sappers and Miners, and has been
exploited more or less constantly ever since. It is, therefore, truly astonishing that the excavations of 1908 and1911 should have been so productive.
The Takht-i-Bahi sculptures have been classified likethe other collections in the Museum. Case 30 contains
fragments illustrating chiefly archaic elements in Gandhara art. The most conspicuous piece is the remarkably fine Atlas No. 694. Like the large figure in Case 14,
this is meant to be winged, the wings being in very low
relief in the background.
The strong and forceful head,with the curiously oblique eyes, is noteworthy. Indeed
the whole figure conveys most admirably the impressionof strength and strain, and must be acknowledged a very
Another interestingclever and successful piece of work.
stone is No. 685, with its graceful foliage in low relief
a very uncommon if not unique design. The Assyrian
honeysuckle motif is shown on No. 687. No. 712 is particularly interesting, for it gives an excellent idea of what
an ancient stupa was like.
must restore the hti

Wesurmounting the whole, but when that is done we have aperfect model of the stupa in ancient Gandhara, though
on the actual monuments the minute decoration on
No. 712 was replaced by bas-reliefs and other sculptures.
Case 31.- Among the fragments showing newly introduced elements is No. 721, an excellently preserved
specimen of considerable excellence of the so-called Tchthyocentaur, a marine monster not known originally to
Indian mythology, cf. PI. 8 (a). The delicately curved
fragment No. 736 showing the familiar motif of the garland-bearing Erotes represents the second or upper domeof a double-domed chapel, originally forming the upper
portion of fragment No. 735, where it was in position
directly above the Buddha's head, the whole composition
1

For the legend c/. Smith, Early History of India, (3rd Edition), p. 231.

84

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

having been a model of such a chapel with the image in
Cf. No. 384.
position.
Case 32. In this case are Legendary Scenes, a number of which are unfortunately in a very fragmentary
The Dipankara-jataka (Tntrod. 1) is reprecondition.
sented by No. 783 and by the smaller fragment No. 781.
Several pieces of the First Sermon occur, Nos. 760, 762,
767, 772 but the only complete sculpture of this legend,
No. 786, is in the next case (Introd. 22). No. 774, whichis from the right central portion of a false niche, shows
fragments of four legendary scenes, the only recognisable
one being the third from the bottom, portraying the
subjugation of the elephant which Devadatta hoped would
kill the Buddha (Tntrod. 37).
No. 775 is a very stiffoftheMahaparinirvana (Introd. 39). The
representation
inthefainting figure
foreground is Ananda, the Belovedof
Buddhist
The most interesting stone
story.
Disciplein this case, however, is No. 769, the right hand side of avery large pedestal originally supporting a standing
Buddha figure, as may bo inferred from the unsandalledfoot partly preserved. This was not, however, a simple
Buddha image. From the presence of the four small
feet it is plain that it formed part of a legendary scene,
the Presentation of the Snake to Kasyapa. Cf. Nos. 1549,
The composition originally resembled Nos. 1376,
1710.
1378, 1451, 1577, 1842. The scenes on the pedestal
are appropriately connected with the same story, the one
to the right showing the Buddha seated in the temple,
the snake about to creep into the alms bowl resting on
the steps, and the young Brahmans endeavouring to put
out the fire, cf. No. 136 (Introd. 23). The scene to theleft is incomplete, but it shows the firetemple before thearrival of the Buddha who was doubtless depicted on the
missing left portion of the pedestal.
;

Case 33.

The Legendary Scenes

in

this

case

are

much better preserved, and present us with a number ofsubjects not met with hitherto in the Peshawar Collection.

THE SCULPTURES.

85

The first one in the case, No. 784, is the Departure from
Kapilavastu (Introd. 13). No. 786 is the First Sermon
Of the three scenes in No. 787 the upper(Introd. 22).
most is the Buddha's Approach to the seat beneath theBodhi-tree at Bodh Gaya (Introd. 18), The central one
is Indra's Visit to the Buddha, the kneeling figure on theTheright with high headdress being Indra (Introd. 25).
lowest scene of

all is yet unidentified as are also

Nos. 780

and 790, but 792 is clearly another version of the Approachto the Seat of Wisdom,
showing the Naga Kalika
and his wife Suvarnaprabhasa singing the hymn of praisein honour of the Buddha (Introd. 17). The two figureson the left are seemingly Mara and his daughter looking
towards the Bodhi-tree. Cf. No. 353. There are reallyparts of two scenes in No. 792. These are not separated
in the usual way by pilasters, but marked by the direction
the figures face. The scene to the right on fragment
No. 794, is the story of the White Dog which barked at
the Buddha (Introd. 28), the fragment on the left beinga merely decorative composition showing the eight
Buddhas. 1 Nos. 795 and 807 are evidently parts of one
and the same frieze, but the fragments do not fit together.
The subject is not definitely known. One of the moststriking exhibits in the Museum is No. 799, PL 3, animage of the Ascetic Gautama. Only one other similar
statue is known, namely, that discovered by Sir Harold
Deane, K.C.I.E., at Sikri, and which is now in the Lahore
Museum but the subject is occasionally represented oilbas-reliefs and in miniature.
The emaCf. 1911, 1912.
ciated figure is meant to recall the six years of fasting andausterities which Gautama underwent as an ascetic
subsequent to the Great Renunciation, and prior to theattainment of Enlightenment (Introd. 16). When he set
out to follow the, religious life he naturally adopted themethods current among his people and it was not until
Jbe had proved these to be fruitless, that he struck out the1

GriinwedeJ, Buddhist Art in India, pp. 181, 188.

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

86

that supreme
path for himself which eventually led him to"knowledge by virtue of which he is called the Buddha,"
The relief sculptured on thei.e., the Enlightened One.
thisiselsewhereofunknown in Gandhara
figurepedestal,

sculpture it represents, appropriately enough, the second
long period of fasting which Gautama underwent, namely,
the seven weeks' fast immediately following the Enlightenment. The story so graphically represented is thatof the two merchants Trapusha and Bhallika (Introd. 21).
;

The Legendary Scenes in this case are badly
call for little remark.
andNo. 81 6- A B isdamagedthe most important as it shows the general size and shape
Case 34.

of a false niche, or rather of the upper or crowning portion of the same.
The reliefs arc in a deplorable condition, but the main scene is recognizable as the DipankaraThe fragment No. 81 6- A, depicts
jataka (Introd. 1).

an abbreviated version of the Angulimala legend. Cf.
No. 1317. The little circular medallion No. 810, it may
be noticed, originally formed part of another Dipankarajataka scene, and shows the youth Megha or Sumati inthe air worshipping Dipankara Buddha.
Cases 35-36. These cases contain the Devotional
Sculptures of the Takht-i-Bahi Collection. A number ofthe fragments, especially in Case 36, seem originally tohave been part of one long composition (cf. Nos. 842, 844,
847, 858, 859. etc.) but it is impossible to restore the whole.
The most interesting of the group are Nos. 835 and 858.
Both show a seated Buddha in the centre, with hands
folded in the attitude of meditation, dhyana, and with anumber of smaller standing Buddha figures at an angle
on either side, while a noticeable feature of both is the
crescent moon above the central Buddha's head. Nos.
850 and 859, having a Bodhisattva with three radiating
figures on either side, are worthy of attention as the former
has a crescent 1 above the head and one of the radiating
figures bears a trident.
Fragment No. 848 is another1

The crescent moon is associated with AvalokiteSvara in later art.

THE SCULPTURES.

87

very valuable and suggestive stone for like No. 503 itshows Avalokitesvara on the left of the Buddha, whereas
in most of these compositions of the Miracles of Sravasti
this, the place of honour, is usually given to the Bodhisattva Maitreya. The sculpture is very late, and this in away strengthens the possibility that the change in position may correspond with a change in the popular estimation of Avalokitesvara, but, it is impossible to determine the question at present. Cf. Cases 70, 71. The

fragment, however, is a good illustration of how very
valuable archseologically a sculpture may be, even whenNos. 848 anddistinctly inferior in execution or beauty.
830 are the only Gandhara images hitherto known depict1
ing the Buddha seated in European fashion.

Cases 37-39. The Bodhisattva fragments from Takhti-Bahi show a remarkable range and variety. The delicately carved head No. 886, with its extraordinary headdress adorned with double-tailed Tritons and such an
uncouth figure as No. 909, for instance, or No. 925 in Case
38 hardly seem assignable to the same period and point

to a protracted occupation of the monastery of Takht-iBahi. But apart from such evidences of decadence as isafforded by the ugly and meaningless arrangement of thedrapery in figure No. 920, or the grotesque lack of proportion in No. 911, this case presents few features worthy ofremark.

The pose of the seated Bodhisattva No. 938, with theright knee raised, is relatively uncommon, but not unknown. Cf. No. 887. The majority of the images,
unfortunately, lack their attributes (cf. Nos. 957, 958
and 959), but where they are preserved, as in Nos. 905
and 913, they support the theory already stated that thefigure with the loop of hair to the right is the Bodhisattva
Maitreya. The form of the headdress, makes it highly
probable that Avalokitesvara is the divinity represented
1

A relief Q. 50

IndianMuseum,seated while an attendant washes his feet.

Calcutta,

shows the Buddha similarly

02

88

SCULPTURED IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

by Nos. 886, 896, 903, 938 and possibly 944, although, itcannot be definitely affirmed.

That No. 958 represents

Maitreya is practically certain despite the absence of thealabastron while the similarity of head No. 950 to the one
numbered 192 has been noted together with the possibility that both represent some particular Bodhisattva
not yet identified.
;Cases 40-43.

That the excavations at Takht-i-Bahi

yielded a surprisingly large number of Buddha heads isshown by the rich collection in Cases 40-43 where therange is perhaps greater even than in the case of the Bodhisattvas.
The image No. 086 is certainly among the most
chaste and beautiful of those in the Museum, while none
is more feeble and insipid than the head No. 1030, orcoarser than No. 1074.
Perhaps the best of the heads
are in Case 41, but Nos. 903, 906, 1049, 1053 and thebeautiful large mask 1068 are all interesting, and definitely
older than ^Nos. 970, 1030, 1045 and 1074.
Anothercertainly late production is No. 1043, one of the few
terracotta figures in this collection
the material mayinsomedeviationmeasurethefrom the normal
explain
the
No.
1635.
type.
Cf.
Finallyinteresting hand No.
;

1056 may be mentioned, with its begging bowl holding
the coils of a serpent. There are several stories recounting the Buddha's victories over particular serpents but
from the popularity of the Kasyapa scenes this is probably
from such a sculpture as No. 1842.

Case 44. -The miscellaneous sculptures recovered at
Takht-i-Bahi in 1908 include a number of very interesting
fragments, but they do not appear to advantage whenmassed in such numbers. No. 1093, the first in the case,
Hariti(Introd. 36).
represents the Tutelary Couple
as a goddess of fecundity, has certain points in common
with the classical Ceres, or Demeter, and it is not surprising, therefore, that the cornucopia should be associated with her in Gandhara, as in No. 1096. She is,however, usually distinguished, not by this exotic symbol,

THE SCULPTURES.

89

but by the presence of some of her very numerous offspring, little gnomes or spirits of the yaksha class of which
Panchika is the senapati. This more typical form is
illustrated by Nos. 241, 1093 and 1101.
A classicalelement of interest is shown in No. 1099, which, like thesmaller fragment No. 1137, depicts the King of the Birds,
Garuda, snatching up a snake deity or ndga, after, themanner of the eagle of Zeus and Ganymede, cf. No. 497.
These two medallions have tapering mortices behind
like No. 221 and must originally have iittcd tenons in theheaddresses of Bodhisattva images. Other interestingpieces are the medallion No. 1122, probably representing
the elevation and worship of the boy Suinati in the Dipankara-jataka, and the very curiously bowed figure No.
1132. But the most valuable piece in this group, andindeed one of the finest examples of Gandhara sculpturesin the Museum, is the largo composition in three pieces

numbered 1151-A, B, and 0.

The general size and shapeof this sculpture are clear from the portions preserved.
The Buddha is seated in the centre, in what is intended

as a wild and mountainous spot, with numberless ascetics"
orForest-dwellers ", and various birds and beasts as
his companions.
Cf. 1944.

A few divine personages are present of whom Panchika
is still

preserved on the right.

Other small fragments ofthis relief are Nos. 1118, 1133,* 1134, 1147 and 1148, but
it is impossible to restore them to their proper
positions.

That the sculpture, as a whole, was most elaborate andmost beautiful is obvious. Nowhere are heads and faces
more successfully drawn, or limbs better proportioned
and more delicately modelled than in the figures of theBrahman hermits along the base of this sculpturenordoes any other specimen of Gandhara art display a greater
naturalness in the depiction of animal life or a greaterThefidelity to nature in the presentation of plant forms.
astonishing realistic representation of the bauhinia foliage
above the ascetics on the extreme right is especially
noteworthy.

;

90

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

The story depicted is that of the sixteen Brahman
ascetics, who came to the Buddha to solve their difficulties(Introd. 35).
of No. 238.

This legend is again found on the pedestal

Case 45.

The stucco fragments from Takht-i-Bahi

are singularly well preserved and in many instances of
exceptional delicacy and beauty. The great variety ishere, the heads are groupedvery noticeable, when,
The majority represent Bucldhas and Bodliitogether.
sattvas, but not all as is clear from the extraordinary^

bearded head, No. 1190, and the heavily moustached one,
No. 1189, beside it. Such heads as 'Nos. 1189, 1190,
1197 and 1198 modelled to represent the face turned to
one side are clearly from some large composition. No
Bodhisattvas are definitely recognizable, with the exception of Nos. 1173, 1178 and 1204 which appear torepresent Maitreya. By far the greater number arc
Buddha heads, and special mention may be made of Nos.
1168, 1172, 1203, 1209, 1211 and also 1177 the last being
good example of what Professor Griinwedel calls theaHindu type.
Case 46. -But of even larger interest than the heads
are the other stucco fragments from Takht-i-Balu in Case
It is well known that little stupas and other build46.
ancient Buddhist sites in this Province were elaat
ings
borately decorated with friezes a.nd other ornamental
work in stucco, but, actual legendary scenes in this medium

have on account of their relative frailty rarely been recovered. Here, however, we have stucco fragmentsof legendary scenes executed on a fairly large scale.
They
originally formed part of the ornamentation on the little
stupas in the central court of the monastery.

The twolarge pieces Nos. 1265 and 1267 at the bottom of the caseboth depict the youthful Siddhartha's voluptuous lifein the palace before his renunciation (Introd. 13).
Below,
we see the female musicians, the careful modelling of theapparently nude figure in No. 1265 being especially note-THE SCULPTURES.

91

Above, the young prince is shown rising fromcouch prepared to flee from his sleeping wife andOther familiar
enter on his long search for salvation.

worthy.
his

Sermon represented by fragments
22), the Birth by thevery interesting sculptures Nos. 1241 and 1242 (Inlrod.
6), and the Temptation (Introd. 19) by the curious fragment No. 1232, which represents the torso of one of Mara's
demons with a diabolical face on the breast. Anotherscenes are the First

Nos.

1250

and 1252 (Introd.

well executed fragment

isNo. 1249, depicting a mailed

but whether this is Mai afigure drawing a heavy sword
Its smaller size, in any
or not, it is impossible to say.
case, precludes the possibility of its having formed pa/t;of the composition of which No. 1232 is a fragment.

Case 47. - This and the following case contain thestone fragments recovered at Takht-i-Bahi in 1909, during
the clearance of the extreme eastern portion of the siteand of the outer face of the main wall on the south. Fragment No. 1270 again shows the Buddha and two Bodhisattvas, with Avalokitesvara occupying the position of
honour on the left. The curved stone No. 1278 is also
a valuable piece, showing an interesting series of standing
Buddha figures under rounded arches alternating with"seated Buddhas under the peculiar "fronton coupeof
Takht-i-Bahi. Another instance of the same design isshown in No. 1282. The apparently uninteresting fragment No. 1283 is really one of the most valuable in theMuseum, as the back is definitely sculptured with the foldsof thedrapery, thus unlike every other image in theMuseum being truly in the round.

The unusual poseof the Bodhisattva Maitreya, No. 1 284, may be mentioned,

as images with the feet crossed at the ankle are comparatively rare in Gandhara.

Among the Takht-i-Bahi fragments of 1909,
included in this case, special attention may be drawn toCase 48.

the excellent little Buddha No. 1298 and to the* grouprepresenting the Tutelary Couple, No. 1299, where again

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

92

Pafichika is seated on the left as in No, 1093. The heads
numbered 1301, 1302 and 1303 are all good, the last being
specially remarkable for the sculptured outline of thepupil in the eye, rare in the early art of Gandhara, though aregular feature of the later images from Shah-ji-ki-Dheii.
The badly damaged sculpture No. 1320 is valuable as anextreme instance of the exaggerated size sometimes given
to the main figure in a group, the attendants to right andleft being in this case dwarfs in comparison, and for the
But the most noteinteresting form of the pedestal.
worthy of all the pieces in this case is the very well carved
block No. 1319. On each side one scene is sculptured,
enclosed on either side by a wide Corinthian pilaster withsquare shaft with leaf and dart moulding. The scenes
represented are those of the cycle of Mahaparinirvana,but the order, curiously enough, is the exact reverse ofwhat is customary.
first ofthe series.

The Death itself (Introd. 39) is the
Next to this on the right, instead ofon the left, as was to have been expected, conies the Cremation (Introd. 40) with two attendants pouring wateror milk upon the flames. This is followed on the right by
the Guarding of the Relics, where these are shown draped
and garlanded under the watch and ward of two of the
MalLa chieftains. The fourth and last scene appears to
represent the cult of the Buddha after the Mahaparinirvana. The Buddha is shown seated in meditation (dhydna)
with Indra and Brahma standing in adoration to his left
and right respectively. In other words, this sculpture,
believed to be unique, represents the Apotheosis of the
Buddha and his worship by the heavenly host.

Most of the sculptures in the cases of thelower gallery were obtained in excavations carried out
subsequent to 1907 at various sites in the neighbourhood
Those in Cases 49-54 were recovered byof Peshawar.
Dr. Spooner at Sahribahlol in 1909-10. Of the decorative
details Nos. 1321 and 1322 are of special interest, for thescroll of vine leaves with grapes and tendrils, thoughdefinitely a foreign motif, has become thoroughly accliCase 49.

-

THE SCULPTURES.

93

matised and monkeys and a peacock seem quite at homein the volutes.
The winged Atlantes,
Cf. No. 109.
No. 1323 and double-tailed Tritons and winged dragonsof No. 1325 are fitting companions of the winged adoring
centaur. No. 1330 and of the more militant centaur withshield depicted in No. 1331.
The unique
Cf. No. 1G58.
relief No. 1327 showing a water pot with lotus flowers
and buds flanked by curious standards with long pennons
ispossibly a representation, in the manner in the AncientIndian School, of the Birth of the Buddha. Lamps appear
to have been common offerings at these Buddhist shrines
cf. No. 74-L, and the Museum possesses several specimens,
but No. 1341 is the largest example so far recovered.
Cf. Nos. 769-M., 770-M., 1687, 1688, 1689.

The reliefs in this case are almost entirelyincharacter showing adoration of the Budclha,
devotional
Case 50.

Bodhisattvas or of relics. In No. 1345 a monk on thethe presence of aleft leads five adoring females into
seated Bodhisattva while on the right a similar monkprecedes four worshipping male laics. The Nagas shownin Nos. 1354 and 1355 must be from some representationof the Miracle of Sravasti of which No. 1361 is an abbreviated version and where on the pedestal an adoring donor
kneels on either side of an elevated incense burner. But
the most interesting sculpture is No. 1364 a pair ofhands holding a miniature shrine such as is carried by theimage No, 1427 and found at the same site.' The hands,
not those of a Buddha, bear traces ofalthough obviously""
between the fingers.
the so-called
webbing

The legendary scenes of this case are of
No. 1366
special interest and several await identification.
in
the
of
that
monomaniac
life
anincident
is seeminglyof charity, the prince Visvantara and shows him preCase 51.

senting the state elephant to the Brahman (Introd. 3).
Whether No. 1367 represents the Yava-Maj jhaklya Jataka,in which a sorely tested and faithful wife succeeded bya stratagem in freeing herself from the importunities ofSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

94

her suitors by getting them all into one box, is doubtful.
The absence of the Buddha from No. 1369 would seem torelegate this incident to some jdtaJca or to a legend where
the intervention of the Buddha occurs later in the story.
The centra] emaciated figure appears to be crossing a
stream indicated by wavy lines on the relief and on thelower edge. The Buddha putting his arm through thewalls of a cave suggests the story of Buddha re-assuring
Ananda, but confirmative details are lacking and No.
1370 still needs interpretation.

The Mahaparinirvana reliefs are recalled by No. 1372
but the recumbent figure is not that of a Buddha and theusual monks and other personages are likewise absent
so the relief cannot definitely be identified.

The story of Angulimala (Introd. 30) is depicted mostgraphically and vigorously in No. 1371. The garlandof fingers both in the headdress and when fallen to 1heground leaves no doubt as to the identification of therobber.

The conversion of Kasyapa and particularly the incidents dealing with the victory over the snake in the firetemple appear to have been favourite themes for the
sculptors of Gandhfira and No. J373 is a more detailed
representation than usual. Cf. Nos. 1376, 1378, 1890.
The relief on the pedestal shows very appropriately the
Buddha in meditation with the snake about to creep into
the alms bowl.
ofCase 52. No. 1374, a well preserved stucco relief
the Birth and Seven Steps (Introd. 6) still preserves

traces of its original colour.

No. 1377, a fragment from a relief showing the Flightfrom Kapilavastu (Introd. 13), depicts both the horse,

Kanthaka and the groom Chandaka who holds aloft the
royal umbrella. The popularity of the Kasyapa legend
is again evidenced by Nos. 1376, 1378. but in each case theleft hand holding the alms bowl with the snake is missing.

THE SCULPTURES.

95

The Dlpahkara-jataka(In trod, 1) is treated on an
in
scale
No.
and the deer skin and hair
1379
unusually large

under the feet of Dfpankara Buddha are very realisticallyrendered.

Cases 53-54.

The Bodhisattva

figuresofCase 53

present no new features. Nos. 1381, 1383, 1385, 1387,
1388 and 1389 appear to be Maitreya and the hand No.
1382 is from a statuette of that Bodhisattva, The longnecked vase adored by two kneeling donors on the pedestal

No. 1387 strengthens the identification of that image
as one of the Bodhisattva Maitreya.
But the moststriking sculpture is No. 1390, the portrait head of anaged monk. The markedly aquiline nose and small but
determined lips indicate a stern and commanding personality, while in the high forehead is found an indicationof intellectual power sufficient to explain why such an
exceptional honour as a portrait statue was accorded to amonk. The unfinished hand, No. 1391, bearing a miniature shrine, would appear to have been part of this unusually fine and unique statue. Cf. Nos. 1364, 1427.
of

"

"

In Case 54 the so-calledof the fingers
webbing
is very noticeable in Nos. 1400, 1401 and in the righthand of No. 1402. The centre scene of No. 1417, a sculpture from Case 55, represents the story of the White Dog
whir-h barked at the Buddha (Introd. 28).
Cf. No. 794.

Case 55.

The sculptures in this case were recovered
and Shah-jI-ki-Dheii

by excavations at Takbt-i-Bahi
during the years 1908-11.

No. 1412 is the lower edge of an elaborate representation of the Miracle of Sravasti (Introd. 32). Emerging
a mi-corps from the water on either side of the lotus stem
are the two naga-rajas, Nanda and Upananda, one armed
with a spear, the other having a lotus flower in the righthand and a dolphin round his right shoulder. Cf. No.
A couple of haloed divinities are similarly depicted
1735.
on either sido of the lotus throne and on both ends of therelief are smaller lotus pedestals for the usual attendant

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

96

Bodhisattvas and divinities.

No. 1415

low relief but
tume, coiffure and jewellery.

Few more interesting andin curiously
presents interesting details of female cosis

detailed representations of the martial exercises than No.

1408 have been recovered and the Bodhisattva

is

seen

engaged in archery, and about to take part in a tug ofwar, while one of the competitors prepares a sling (Introd.
Statues of the emaciated Buddha are comparatively
9).
rare but No. 1413 from Shah-ji-ki-Dheri is clearly fromone of these compositions.
In No. 1416 Panchika and Hariti are represented withconsiderable vigour and much wealth of detail. Of. No.
241.

Case 56.

The exhibits in Cases 56-65 were obtainedin 1912 by Sir Aurel Stein, K.C.I.E., from a small moundat Sahribahlol. The stucco fragments and reliefs, someof which were found in situ, are representative of theschool towards its decline when artistic effort was weakenWith these productions should be compared theing.
stucco remains in Cases A, 1, 45, 46, etc.

Case 57. The miscellaneous sculptures of Case 57
no special mention but the Atlantes Nos. 1496,
from cornices are typical details. No. 1501 is
1500
1498,
a medallion from the headdress of a Bodhisattva such as
No. 1384 and has a tapering mortice behind like No. 221.
Unusually large and well rendered is the lion No. 1506.
Smaller lions fed by little yakshas or Cupids are commonly found on the ends of the thrones of images. Cf.
Nos. 238, 1433. The fragment No. 1505 is from such apedestal. An examination of the pedestal of No. 1436 will
reveal how these lion figures were so easily separated.

call forThe sculptures of Case 58, principally
pedestals of images, show seated Buddhas and Bodhisattvas receiving the adoration of both monks and laity.
Scenes, however, more spirited in action were once depicted
on either side of the Bodhisattva of No. 1517. Though
now fragmentary the scene to the right was probably
Cases 58-60.

THE SCULPTURES.

97

the Submission of Apalala (Introd. 29), that to the left
the Conversion of Angulimala (Introd. 30).

With the exception of the decadent relief No. 1525
the sculptures in Case 59 are all forms of the Miracle ofNo. 1528 is a typical specimen with the dupliSravasti.
cated images of the Buddha in little shrines on the upper
A more abbreviated but pleasing example iscorners.
No. 1527, PI. 2 (a), resembling Nos. 158, 171. Fragment
No. 1526 from the upper left of an elaborate composition
such as No. 1554 shows the Buddha with an aureole offlanking Buddhas on either side.

Cf. No. 1734.

In Case 60, Nos. 1529, J540, are likewise fragmentsfrom similar scenes, the former displaying the very elaborately treated stem of the lotus. One of the mostinteresting sculptures in the Museum is No. 1534 where
we see an image of the Buddha being presented to the

Buddha himself
As before noted the Buddha image isdue to the school of Gandlr.ra, which arose some four
hundred years after his death. The sculptor, has, therefore, been guilty of an anachronism, but with such a relief!

them it is easy to realise how the unsuspecting
Buddhists came to believe that there were images of the
Buddha during his life-time and why the Chinese pilgrims
refer to images contemporary with the Master.
beforeNo satisfactory identification of the very striking
sculpture No. 1537 has yet been advanced but the composition of which it is a fragment would appear to havebeen on an unusually large scale.
Case 81. An exceptional feature, the haloed Bodhisattva in the arms of his nurse, and not in the lap of Asita,
is seen in No. 1541, the Horoscope of the Bodhisattva.
C/. No. 1726 (Introd. 7). No. 1543, though only doubtfully
a form of the Miracle of Sravasti, is clearly founded uponsuch reliefs as is evidenced by the pose of the hands, thelotus throne and the princely attendants. No.
1544
is certainly from such a relief.

98

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

On the right of the seated Bodhisattva of No. 1549
we see the Buddha presenting the snake in the alms bowl
to Kasyapa. Cf. No. 1710 (Introd. 23). The elephantNo. 1550 emerging from a gateway is Nalagiri yet tobe subdued by the Buddha. Cf. No. 1850 (Introd. 37).
The costume of the headless figure on the left of No. 1551
is worthy of examination.
ofNo. 1545, the Presentation of the Four Bowls (Introd.
20), formed part of the false niche of a stupa, of which analmost complete specimen is seen in the now combined
fragments Nos. 1548, 1552.

Case 62.

Both Nos. 1553 and 1554 areelaborate

representations of the Miracle of Sravasti (Introd. 32).
No. 1553 seemingly of late date shows the Buddha on athrone supported by a lotus and with small meditating
Bodhisattvas to right and left. The cherubs supportingthe crown above the Buddha are well preserved andexplain the purpose of such figures as Nos. 1492, 1494.
Much variety of pose is exhibited by the divine figures
flanking the Buddha. The scene on the upper left shows
him with an aureole of standing Buddhas, that to theright a seated Buddha between two monks and a bearded

Vajrapani.

A still more complete relief is No. 1554.

Here ele-phants support the lotus, and a small Buddha figure isupheld by the trunk of the centre one. The elephant
is not entirely inappropriate here as the word ndga has
the double meaning of both serpent and elephant. Two""small haloed figures are also upheld by thesenagas
near the shoulders of the Buddha.

The Indo-Persepolitan columns andcapitals,thebalconies with female spectators, the modillion cornices,the double domed chapels, and the stupa with its pinnacleof umbrellas, and flanking lion-crowned pillars are worthy
Not an inch of space is leftof detailed examination.
undecorated and even legendary scenes are found between

THE SCULPTURES.

99

the little stupa and the chapels, the Dipankara Jataka toof the Handful of Dust
rigfit (Introd. 1) and the Offeringto the left (Introd. 27).

Cases 63-65. No new features are represented by theBodhisattvas of Case 63 which fall into the two types
already described. No. 1560 in very low relief seems to be
The evidence that the second and thirdof late date.
ofthelarge hand No. 1566 were additions to thefingers
stone is not without interest and accounts for their loss.

The Buddhas of Case 64 exhibit several forms of thetreatment of the hair, by natural wavy lines, light curls
and a modified naturalistic form as in No. 1575. Two of
the ever popular Kasyapa scenes again appear in Nos.
1569, 1577 (Introd. 23).
The ornamented edge of the halo of the late relief
No. 1567 should be noted. Cf. No. 1424. No. 1572 is,in reality, the head of a small Bodhisattva figure.
Most of the sculptures of Case 65 are late and decadent
but No. 1584 showing the Bodhisattva Maitreya withadoring figures is not without interest, and No. 1591, theBodhisattva seated in easy attitude on a draped caneseat is a very successful effort. The sandal from which
the right foot has been withdrawn is cleverly and realistically rendered.

Case 66.- Cases 66-74 contain sculptures obtainedby Sir Aurel Stein, K.C.I.E., during the excavation ofMound C. at Sahribahlol in 1912.
The stucco fragments present much variety, architectural details, heads of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, monks,
The fragascetics, laics and even horses being shown.
are
Nos.
1608
stuccofriezes
1606, 1607,
very
mentary
successfully coloured to imitate the local stone. No. 1635
a terracotta figurine and differs not only in technique
but in costume, jewellery and coiffure from the imagesof the Grandhara school and appears to be an importation.
Nos. 1645, 1652, 1653 were found in situ
Cf. No. 1043.
adorning the base of a stupa.

is

100

SCULPTURED IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

Cases 67-68. The fragments in Case 67 present no
novel features but No. 1658, the armed centaur, No. 1677
a double-tailed Triton, and Nos. 1679, 1682, ichthyocentaurs and the curious fish-tailed bull, No. 1681 are striking
productions. Three stone lamps Nos. 1687, 1688 and
1689 are presumably votive offerings. No. 1690 is thefragment of a stone umbrella from a stupa.
Scenes of devotion form the subject of most of theCase 68 but the costumes and coiffures of theworshippers, notably on Nos. 1695, 1701 and 1703 deserve attention as these were, almost certainly sketchedfrom life. Noteworthy too are the Yavanls treated as
caryatides, in Nos. 1697 and 1698.
reliefs inCase 69. The identified legendary scenes represented
The Offering of the Handfulin this case are No. 1708.
No. 1710. Presentation of theof Dust (Introd. 27)
snake in the alms bowl to Kasyapa (Introd. 23) ; No. 1718.
The Bodhisattva preparing for the flight from. Kapila;

vastu, where Kanthaka and Chandaka are both shown in the
The approachroyal bedchamber (Introd. 13) ; No. 1723.

to the Bodhi Tree (two scenes) (Introd. 18) No. 1726.
The Horoscope (Introd. 7) ; and No. 1716. The Visit of theNaga Elapatra (Introd. 38). This last relief, a uniquespecimen, shows Elapatra twice, first as a princely figure
in adoring attitude on the extreme left with a cobra
forming a canopy over his head, and again in his natural
animal form before the throne. This visit is reputed tohave occurred at Benares and is probably why the general;form of the First Sermon is preserved in this relief, evento the presence of five monks.
In No. 1719 the Bodhisattva is seen riding a ram.
Nos. 1712, 1713, 1717 and 1720 are proCf. No. 131.
from
JdtaJcas but await certain identificascenes
bablytion, as does No. 1714 which recalls a similar figure in
No. 1426.
Cases 70-71. The reliefs in Cases 70 and 71 excepting
perhaps No. 1734, deal with the Miracle of SravastI and,THE SCULPTURES.

101

witness the growing popularity of these compositions
as the art of the school declined, for though Nos. 1729 and1735 still display some feeling and vigour most of these
reliefs exhibit a lifeless mediocrity (Introd. 32).
Considerable variety is shown in the attendant figures but the
Buddha seated in the preaching attitude on a lotus, orthrone supported by a lotus, and flanked by standing
Bodhisattva figures continues to form the central feature.
The position of the Bodhisattvas is not constant. The
duplicate Buddha images are absent in Nos. 1729, 1731
and 1736, but appear as standing figures, four on eachside, to form an aureole to the central Buddha of No. 1734
which, it should be noted, is in the attitude of meditation.

In this relief elephants support adoring divinities on their
trunks. Cf. No. 1554.

The watery world with ndgas, lotuses and waterfowl,
well rendered in No. 1735 where the dolphin 1 again
appears on the right arm of one of the ndga-rdjas. Cf.
No. 1412. The sculptor of No. 1738 displays some temerity in representing the flanking Buddhas a mi carps inthe little panels but lacks the hardihood of the artist ofis

No. 1553 who ventured to chisel the crown above theBuddha in almost full relief.
Case 72. The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara appears
to be represented by Nos. 1740, 1743, 1745, 1746 and
1747 so that the Buddha in the headdress of No. 1740
seated with hands in the attitude of meditation may be
assumed to be the Dhyani-Buddha Amitabha. Cf. Nos.
221, 222.

No. 1742

isthe Bodhisattva Maitreya but the realinterest of this case is centred on No. 1739, PL 1, for thisis the only certain image of the Bodhisattva Siddhartha

Museum. The identification is assured beyond
dispute by the ploughing scene on the right of the pedestal
in the1

The dolphin is one of the Hellenistic details of the Graeco-Buddhist school.

HSCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

102

and the composition as a whole represents theMeditation of the Bodhisattva (Introd.

First

12).

In reality the sculpture is a legendary scene where thefigure of the protagonist is so enlarged as to become animage, the other part of the action being relegated to theThis suggests the interesting question, whether
pedestal.
images may not have been evolved by similar methods
from legendary reliefs. The figures to the left of the
incense-burner are donors. With No. 1739 should becompared the Kasyapa scene No. 1577 where the Buddha
is out of all proportion to the rest of the figures and becomes a free statuette when the pedestal is broken. Cf.
No. 1842.

Case 73. The Buddha images in this case appear torepresent a long period of artistic effort. Between theexecution of No. 1751 and No. 1748 a considerable timemust have elapsed. Where the hair is treated in natural

wavy lines, the technique isusuallysuperiortothatwhere a meaningless schematic treatment is given to thehair.
The small image No. 1760 might have been placedin a miniature shrine such as No. 602.
No. 1763 is one of the few sculptures in the Museum
where the Buddha is given a trefoil aureole.
Case 74. To the tedious monotony of endless Buddha
and Bodhisattva figures welcome variety is afforded by
the images of Case 74. From the treatment of the draThe costume,
pery. No. 1767 appears to be of late date.
no doubt sketched from life, resembles that worn by thefemales in No. 1701. Very noticeable are the elongatedlobes of the ear.

No. 1768 is somewhat like the head No. 268 in Case12.

The hair generally is treated naturally and despite

the small looped lock the head is undoubtedly that of alayman as it lacks the urna. In all probability it formed
part of a statue such as No. 1427 and may have been a
portrait.

THE SCULPTURES.

103

The striking figure No. 1770 with its long robe sugfirst glance a monk, but the earrings and hair
make it certain that it is a figure of some layman. The
crown of the head is tonsured save for a little lock of hairgests at(choti) in the centre.

It is unfortunate that the right fore-

arm, probably upraised in the act of scattering flowers,
is now lost but the left hand still holding them showsthat the figure is of some adoring follower of the Buddha.

No trace of " webbing " is found between the fingerstofthe left hand. A similar flower-bearing figure on a smallerscale is No. 1769 which exhibits interesting details of
costume.

The most arresting image is No. 1773, PL 4 (6), where
we see Hariti clothed exactly as is the adoring figure No.
Artistically this cannot be compared with thegracious figure of No. 241 but iconographically it is of the1767.

greatest possible value as showing the progress of Indianization.
Prom her yaksha spouse, Panchika, she hasborrowed the wine cup and weapon (now become a trident) but the auspicious water pot in her lower left hand
and the little child in the corresponding right hand still
mark her as the goddess of fertility. Her demonic nature
has not, however, been forgotten and is indicated by the
projecting tusk-like teeth. The elongated ear-lobes, theveil, the elaborate coiffure and abundance of jewellery
should be noted. Her advancement to divine rank isproved by the halo but the presence of the urna "is inThe upper left hand shows traces ofwebexplicable.
"
the
two
betweenThe
standing figuresbing
fingers.
at her feet are donors. With this four-armed image

compare No. 1926.
Case 75. No. 1774, the Bodhisattva preparing forfrom the palace (Introd. 13), shows Chandaka

his flightand Kanthaka more reasonably placed outside the royal
bed-chamber. Of. No. 1718. The object borne by Chandaka is the royal turban (ushnlsha) which later became an
object of worship. The Offering of the Handful of Dust

104

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

appears again in No. 1776 (Introd. 27) and the First
Sermon in No. 1781. Panchika still armed with a spear,
but now seated on a lion, is seen in No. 1779.
Structural railings are rare in Gandhara but threeornamented pillars of a railing with four cross-bars areseen in Nos. 1780, 1784 and 1790. It will be noted fromthe mortise holes that the cross bars of therailings wereplano-convex, not double convex like those of Central
India.

The sculptors of Gandhara do not appear to haveworked in marble and the fragment No. 1777 is clearly
an importation and of later date than the other sculpturesin this case.

Case 76. The stucco figures from Mound H. Sahribahlol should be compared with those from Mound C. atthe same site and exhibited in Case 66. These are wellpreserved and show great variety. Slight traces ofcolouring still remain on NovS. 1797 and 1809. No. 1839
has an aureole resembling the sculpture No. 1763. Cf.
1631.

Case 77. Some idea of the wealth of sculptures
which formerly adorned the monastery in Takht-i-Bahl
may be formed from the interesting reliefs exhibited in
Cases 77 and 78, recovered from a very small area in 191213.
Two scenes from the Advance to the Bodhi Seat are
seen in No. 1840, to the right the Offering of the Grasscutter, to the left the Buddha by the Bodhi Seat, at thefoot of which kneels the spirit of the tree (Introd. 18).
An emaciated Buddha is seen in No. 1841 (Introd. 16).
The statuette No. 1842 is from a Kasyapa scene, thefigures of the ascetics being lost by the breakage of thestone.
The pedestal shows the snake
Cf. No. 1373.

about to creep into the alms bowl while the Buddha sits
meditation (Introd. 23). Four of the five panelsof No. 1844, PL 6, are well known
A.
legendary scenes
Mara's Attack (Introd. 19) B. The First Sermon (Introd.
C. Unidentified ; D, Devadatta's hired assassins
22)
lost in:;;THE SCULPTURES.
(Introd. 37) ; E,

105

The Mahaparinirvana with the disciple

MahSkasyapa touching the feet of the Buddha (Introd. 39).

As three of the four scenes of No. 1846 deal with the
Mahaparinirvana it seems probable that the uppermost
panel is connected with that event but its meaning so far
eludes us. The Mahaparinirvana scene requires no com-ment and the Division of the Eelics to the eight claimants
is clearly depicted,

while the last panel is a fitting concluBuddha enshrined in asion as it snows the relics of the

stupa flanked by pillars with lion (?) capitals and receiving the worship of both monks and laity (Introd. 41 ; 42).
The story and actors of the principal panel in No. 1 847
were no doubt well known to those for whom it was
created but the clue is now lost and for us it is merely ascene of adoration by nameless worshippers.

Case 78. The right panel of No. 1849 illustrates theInvitation of Srigupta (Introd. 34) but the scene with the
curiously drooping figure is unidentified. As the left
panel of No. 1850 shows one of the attempts of Devadatta
to slay the Buddha it is not improbable that the scene
to the right deals with the attack of his hired assassins
No. 1852 with its miniature stupa appears(Introd. 37).
been
flankedto haveby the same legendary scenes as thatin No. 1554.

The curious headdress of the bearded Vajrapani No.
1858 is strongly reminiscent of Indra from whom also hemust have originally borrowed his thunderbolt.
the seated meditating Buddha with its aureole ofstanding Buddhas is not a representation of the Miracleof Sravasti it certainly owes its inspiration to such reliefs.
In No. 1862, The First Sermon, the deer are omitted but
the wheel of the law resting upon a tri&ula still remains.
If

Cases 83MJ4. In Cases 83-84 the sculptures obtained
from various sources exhibit much variety. In Case 83
1

Cases 79, 80, 81, 82 contain arms.

106

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

the fragment of acanthus capital No. 18-L like the winged
Ichthyocentaur or Triton No. 14-L, PL 8 (a), is one of theimportations of the school. The scene in No. 1-L awaits
identification for though the little child might possibly
be Rahula, the Buddha's infant son, the Master is notshown in the palace of the Sakyas, the scene of their
meeting, but under a tree in a garden. No. 3 1-L is a
fragment showing the Life in the Palace while No. 33-L
Cf.
depicts the subsequent flight from Kapilavastu.
No. 1882. Considerable detail is shown and Chandaka
with the umbrella, Mam with the bow and the disconsolate City Goddess with crenellated crown are all preserved, as well as traces of the ycikslias who formerly
upheld the forefeet of the now lost Kantliaka (Introd. 13).
Another of the many statuettes of Buddha presenting thesnake to Kasyapa is seen in No. 1890. A unique andinteresting GlaTiula head, No. 913-M, is apparently of
Hindu origin and certainly of later date than the rest of
the sculptures.

In Case 84 the three friezes, Nos. 22, 23, 24-L, PL 8 (6),appear to be purely decoraof Indian costume theydetails
show
tive.
Though they
exhibit very strong Hellenistic feeling and rank highamong the productions of the school. The submissionof the Naga Apalala, No. 28-L, PL 5 (a), differs in detailfrom No. 336, for here while Apalala is shown outside thetank two nagis are still in the pool (Introd. 29). A late
representation of the Birth of the Buddha is seen in No.
32-L and No. 16-L, the forepart of an elephant from undera cornice is better modelled than usual. No. 15-L exhibits
an uncommon but pleasing and decorative design of pipctl
all from the same monument,

leaves and tendrils, PL 8 (c).

Case 85.- -The sculptures in this case, for the mostpart recent acquisitions from various sources, aie of
exceptional interest. No. 1938 showing two wrestlers
bears in Kharoshthi characters the word Minamdrasa

THE SCULPTURES.
'

of Menander'.

From its form and treatment

107
ifc

is

un-

likely that it ever adorned a, religious building, and though
it might have been an ex voto of a wrestler Menander, it

could equally well have served some secular purpose
as it is cut behind seemingly for convenience of handling.
With the vigorous treatment of the wrestlers on Menander 's relief may be contrasted the stiff and doll-like figuresof No. 30-L where is seen the Wrestling Match (Introd.
No* 1902, a mounted archer discharging an arrow,9).
is probably part of the same story of the Martial Exercises of the Bodhisattva.

Two scenes from the story of Nanda (Introd. 24) areseen in No. 1892 the upper one shows him with his wife
before the intervention of the Buddha, the lower one the;shaving of his head before ordination. Unfortunately
the damage to the figure of the barber on the extreme
left has destroyed the implements of his trade.
Thelittle standing Buddha from Tordher, No. 1935 is of special
interest as it bears the remains of a copper torque, probably the gift of some devotee more devout than orthodox.
Representations of Brahma and Indra begging the newly
enlightened Buddha to preach his doctrine (adhyeshaua)
are rare in the Peshawar Museum but No. 1915 appears
to depict this important event. The Invitation of $rigupta (Introd. 34) is seen in the fragmentary sculpture
No. 82-L. One of Devadatta's attempts on the lii'e ofthe Buddha (Introd. 37) appears to be represented in No.
1898, but the story figured in No. 1918 still has to be
A particularly striking form of the Great
interpreted.
Miracle of Sravasti is seen on No. 85-L, the flames from theshoulders and the streams of water from the feet leaving
no doubt as to the identification (Tntrod. 32). The ascetic
Buddha, No, 1912, calls for no remark (Infcrod. 16) but thesimilar sculpture No. 1911 at the bottom of the case isnoteworthy for its absurd anatomy and the extraordinary
treatment of the veins as well as the curious nimbus.
No. 1900, the Bath of the Buddha, is believed to be unique

108

SCULPTURES 'IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

in Gandhara as it represents the two ndga-rdjas in animal
form (Introd. 6). The Bath of the Buddha and the

Return from Lumbini appear again in No. 1903, and twoother scenes from the nativity, the Birth and Horoscopein the curved frieze, No. 643-M, and the Birth alone in
No. 1936. The White Dog which barked at the Buddha isshown in No. 35-L (Introd. 28) and in the fragment No.
1914 is seen the Bodhisattva fleeing from Kapilavastu(Introd. 13).

Portions of two miniature stupas appear in No. 1 897-A,
1897-B while No. 1920 is the bottom half of a relic casket.

APPENDIX.

EXCAVATIONS IN GANDHARA.
1902-03. Excavations

at Charsada

capital of

Gandhara by(Pushkaravati), the ancient
Sir John Marshall and Dr.
Cases 25-29, Table Cases E, F, G.

Vogel.

A.

S.

/.,

1902-03,

pp.

141-184.

1906-07. Excavations at Sahribahlol near Mardan,
by Dr. Spooner.

Cases

Ml, Table Case A.
A.

L.

S.

1906-07,pp.

102-118.

1907-08. Excavations at Takht-i-Bahi about 3 miles from Sahribahlol,

by Dr. Spooner.

Cases 30-48.

A. S. /., 1907-08, pp. 132-148.
1908-09. Excavations at Shah-ji-ki-dheri about one mile east ofPeshawar City, by Dr. Spooner. Table Case
H,

Case 55.
A.

S.

/.,

190849, pp.

1908-11. Excavations at Takht-i-Bahl and Shah-jl-kl-dheii.

38-59.

Case

55.

1909-10. Excavations

at Sahribahlol,
49-54, Table Case N.
A.

1910-11. Excavations

atby Dr.

S.

/.,

Shah-ji-kl-dheii,

Table Cases H.

Spooner.

Cases

46-62.

1909-10,

pp.

by H.

Hargreaves.

and N.

A. S. L, 1910-11, pp.
Excavations at Takht-i-Bahl, by H. Hargreaves.
A. S. /., 1910-11, pp.

26-38.

by Sir Aurel Stein.

Cases

1911-12. Excavations at Sahribahlol,
56-76.

33-39.

A. S. L, 1911-12, pp. 95-118.

109

110

SCULPTURES IN THE PESHAWAR MUSEUM.

1912-13. Excavations at Takht-i-Bahi.

Excavations
Case L.

at

1920-21. Excavations at Jamalgarhi

Cases 77-78.

and SahribahloL

Table

by H. Hargreaves.

Table

Takht-i-Bahi

Case M.
1920-24. Sculptures recovered during conservation at Jamalgarhi
and Takht-i-Bahi.

In the window openings of the lower galleries.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Beal

Buddhist Kecords of the Western World,
2 Yob. London, 1906.

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The Romantic Legend of Sakya Buddha,.

London, 1875.
History of India, Vol. I.,
Cambridge, 1922.
The Indian Origin of the Buddha Image.

Cambridge

Coomaraswamy

*

./.

.

A. 0. 8., 192G.

The Origin of the Buddha Image.
Bulletin, Vol.

The Buddha's Hair and Crown. J. R,
A. &, 1928.
L'Art Grco-Bouddhique du Gandhara.

.

Fouoher

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Art

IX.

Vol.

I.

Paris,

surla1905; Vol.

IT.

Paris,

1918.

Note

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Gandhara.

geographic aneienne
Hanoi, 1902.

Les bas-reliefs du Stupa de Sikri.

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duParis,

1903.

Griinwedel

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Hardy
Kern

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Buddhist Art in India.

London, 1901.

A Manual of Buddhism.

London, 1880.

ManualofIndian Buddhism.

Strass-burg, 1896.

Marshall.

.

Guide to Taxila, 2nd Edition.

Calcutta,

1921.

Rockhill.

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The Life of the Buddha.

Ill
MGIPC-S3-m-9-27-7.2-30-500.

London, 1884.

PLATE 2.

(a)

No,

(b)

ot

pp. 8, 11, 42.

No. 508, YAKSHAS AND GARLAND,
p. 8,

PLATE 3,

799, ASCETIC

BUPDHA, pp. 8, 29, 85,

4

gg
I 10

IM
1*~*
oo
?D

&

(a)

OF

No, 28 L,

(6)

HACIA

pp. 8, 11, 39, 75,

No. 1891, SYAMA JATAKA, pp. 20, 59.

PLATE 6,

No. 1844, (A) THE TEMPTATION.
(D) DEVADATTA'S ASSASSINS,(B) FIEST(E)

SERMON.

(C)

UNIDENTIFIED SCENE.

MAHAPARINIRVANA, pp. 31, 34, 44, 46, 104(No. 241, HABITI AND

PANCHIKA, pp. 44, 50.

8*

(a)

Ho. 14 Lts

pp. 8, 11, 83, !()(>.

No. 24 L 9 FKCK/.E otf STANDINCI FitnfiiMK pp. 8, Jl,?

(r) Ko.

15 L, CONVENTIONAL DESIGN ox pipal LKA.VES WITH TENDRILS, T>P. 11. 10(5.

&ATE 9.

(a)

No. 1430,

BUDDHA WITH CRYSTAL

urya, pp. 8, 17, 52,(b)

ROYAL FEMALE WITH
MJMA1UBE SBBIKE, p. 53.

No. 1427,

10.

KANISHKA RELIC CASKET (BRONZE), pp. r>, 10, 47,

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