Zin 2001 Angulimala

7/21/2019 Zin 2001 Angulimala

1/17

South

Asian Archaeology

200r

Edited

by

CetHnnrNs

Jannrcn

and VrNcnNr

Lnrtvns

Volume II

His

torical

Archaeology

and

Art

History

Editions Recherche sur les Civilisations


2/17

Cover:

Bamiyan. 55 m Buddha niche.

East side wall, crowned Buddha

(Sakyamuni).

adpf association

pour

la diffusion de la

pensee

franqaise

.

Editions

Recherche

sur

les

Chtilisations

Minisrdre

des

Affaires 6tangdres

Direction

g6n6rale

de la Coop6ration

internationale

et du Developpement

Sous-direction des Sciences sociales

et de l'Archolggie

5.:"Je Ferrus

15683

Paris

cedex

14

-S-:\:-S5:lS-101-6

:

{i-:::::.-,r

R3.:er.he

sur les Civilisations,

Paris, 2005

Ftelr

Unhrerlitit

8rlln.

HtilLltibch.

PiiloloeL'

d

hsteta.nr:rn


3/17

South

Asian Archaeology

200t

Proceedings

of

the

Sixteenth

International

Conference

of

the

European

Association

of

South Asian

Archaeologists,

held

in

Collige

de

France,

Paris,

2-6

July

2001

Edited by

CarsBnrNp

Jannrcn

and

VrucnNr

Lrrivnr

Volume

II

Hi

s

to

ric

al

Ar

ch ae o

lo

gy

and

Art History

Editions Recherche sur les Ciailisations


4/17

Table

of

contents

Volume

II

NAMAN P. AHUJA

Changing

Gods, Enduring futuals:

Observations

on Early Indian Religion

as

seen through Terracotta

Imagery,

c.2ooBC-AD

roo ....

.....345

EvA

ALTINGER

An

Unusual Depiction

of Astamahabhaya Tara

in Nako,IlIimachal

Pradesh

as Compared with

Other Representations of dre Same

Tera in

the Western Himalaya . . . .

.

355

MUHAMMAD

ASHRAF

KHAN

Recent Discoveries

in the Ancient Gandhara Region and

Adjoining

Areas

with

Special Emphasis

onDist

crAftockin

the

Punjab-Pakistan

. .... . .. . ..

363

JOACHIM

K. BAUTZE

Painting at

Karauli

..... .,,

',365

CLAUDINE

BAUTZE-PIcRoN

Death

at the Gate of

Hindu

Temples and Shrines,

5dr

to

7th century

KURT

BEHRENDT

Narrative Sequences

in the Buddhist Reliefs

from

Gandhara . . . . . . .

GoURIswAR BHATTAcHARYA

Identification of a

Strange Stone Image

from

Nepal: Nepal

and

Tamil

Nadu Connection

.175

..383

..........393

PrA BRANCAccro

Perceptions of

"\Testerners"

in

Satavahana Times: The Archaeological

Evidence

. . . . . . .

4ot

M. BRANDTNER, B.

MISRA, P. MoHANTY & P. YULE

rWestern

Orissa

(November-

December 2000): Preliminary Report

of a Suney . . .

.

4o7

PTERFRANcESco

CALLTERT

Excavations

of d1e IsiAO

Italian

Archaeological

Mission

in Pakistan at Bir-ko -ghwandai, Swat: the Sacred Building

on the Ciradel

..

..4r7


5/17

MARTHA

L.

CARTBR

Indo-Scythian Regalia: The Numismatic Evidence. .....427

Rosa M.aRrA Crrr,rrNo

The

rxrafl

Paintings Temple's of Mahuva

Vala A]hada,

at Nathdwara

,

. .

..

. .437

HARRY FAIK

The

Buddha's

Begging Bowl .

.......445

ANNA FILIGaNZI

Stone

and

Stucco Sculptures from

the Sacred

Building

of Bir-kot-ghwaqdai,

Swat,

Pakistan ............4s3

VASUNDHARA

FrLLrozAT

Jakka4eceri

Temples in Kamelaka

............463

GBMRD FoEXBMA

Ardftectural

Features of t]le Irter

Medieval Temples of KamEteka, 1000-1300 AD .....47s

LARS FoGBLIN

Recent Resesrch

at the Buddhist

Monastery of

Thotlakonda

....

-...483

SUCTTANDRA

GHosH

A

Mahenlvika in

an Inscription

from

Coasel

Andhra

Pradesh and

Rdarcd

Archaeological

Issues

.....

.........49r

IoHN

GUY

Southem Buddhism: Traces and

Transmission

. .,.....495

BNAMUL HAeuE, S.S. MosrAFrzuR

RrrMrN

&

S.M.

KAMRUL AHSAN

A Preliminary Report

on

l7ari-Bateshwar

Trial Excavation by ICSBA .......

io5

JULIA

A.B.

HBGEWALD

From Siva

to PardvanEtha:

The

Appropriation

of a

Hindu

Temple for

Jaina

Worship.

.

. . .

5r7

OsxAR voN HTNtiBBR

Bronzes

ftom Gilgit

and

Their Inscriptions

.... .........52s

KLAUS KARTTUNEN

'Vestem

Coins

in

South Asia: A Literary Perspective

. .

. . .

53r


6/17

DEBoRAH KLIMBURG.SALTER

Mahdk66yapa

and the Art of Bamiyan

.

. . . . . .

535

CECELTA LEvrN

Looking Southwards: Eady

Paqdyan

Art

and its Impact

on

dle Evolution

of

Hindu

Sculptural

Style

.

.

......55r

BARRY LEwIs

The Mysore

Kingdom

at

AD

1800:

Archaeological Applications

of the Mysore Survey

of

Colin Mackenzie

.

-

. .

-

55?

B.R. MANr

Date of the

Akhnur Buddhist

Terracottas

in

the

Light

of Recent Excavations

at Ambaran

(Akhnur)

.

.....

..

.567

MICHAEL

W

MBrsrER

with

ABDUR RESMAN

Archaeology at

Kafirkot

. . . . . .

.

.....571

GERD

J.R.

MEvrssEN

Ladies and

Planets:

Images of female deities accompanied

by

graha

figxes

..........579

EvA

MYRDAL

Rice

and

Millet

Land-Use and Control

of

Resources

in

Dry

Zone Sri Lanka

lst

Millennium

AD

.....589

ALKA PATEL

A

Note

on

Malrmud

Ghaznau, Somanatha,

and

the Building

of

a Reputadon

.. .. ..

.5gg

CAMERoN A. PETRIE

The Late 1st and Early 2nd Millennia

AD at

Aka, N.V:F

P, Pakistan

. . . . . . 607

ELLEN

M.

RAVEN

Candragupta

II,

the Lion-Slayer

......

..

615

CHARLoTTE ScHMID

Of Gods and Mortals:

L

a C01a

..........623

CARoLYN ITooDFoRD

ScIlMTDT

The

Wreath-Bearing

Bodhisatra:

Ongoing

Typological

Studies of

Bodhisattva

Images

ftom

Sahri-Batrlol ..

..

.637


7/17

GAUTAM SENGU?TA

Art

of South-rtr7estem

Bengal: A Framework For Enqurry

. . .

D.V. SHARMA

Identification

of Akbar's

Ganga-Sagar at

Fatehpur

Sikri

JULrA

SHAW

The Archaeological

Setting of Buddhist Monasteries

in

Central

India: a Summary

of a Multi-Phase

Suwey

in

the Sanchi

Area, 1998-2000

PETER

SKILLING

"Buddhist

Sealings": Reflections

on Terminology, Motivation,

Donors'

Status,

School-Affiliation,

and

Print-Technology

.

.

. . .

GARY

MICHAEL TARTAKoV

Vpabha Nandi in the Art

of the

Early

Calukya.

.

.

ANNE

VERGATI

The Image

of

the Rdjput Hero in

North

Indian

Art

(lfest

Reiasdr1n)

16th-19th cenruries

MoNTKA

ZrN

The

Unknown

Ajanta Painting of the

Angufmdla

Story . . . .

649

659

665

677

705

687

697


8/17

Fig. 1

-

Ajanta,

Cave

XVII,

veranda,

second

window

niche

ir

the right

rear wall;

painting

on

the

lft side

(computer-generated

image

combining

two

photographs)'


9/17

The

Unknown

Ajanta Painting

of

the

Angulimdla

Story

MONIKA

ZIN

Of all the verandas

in

the Ajanta

complex, the one

in

front

of cavc XVII

is

in

the

best

condirion. Although

somc

parts

of

the

paintings

are scvcrely damaged,

partic-

ularIy in

their lorver

pafis,

what remains allows

us to

iden-

tify thc narrative

(Schlingloff

2000: Nos. 24,68,69,77,83)

and devotional

representations.

among them thc famous

W'heel of Existences

(Zin

2002:

No.

46) and rocky land-

scapes

around

ts,o Bodhisan'a

kings

(Zin

2003:

No.42.1,1-15).

The

paintings

featured

on this

vcranda

are among

the

most

frequently

published

images

lrom

Ajanta.

From

the vcranda

a

door on

dre

cave's central

axis leads

into

the cave,

and trvo r,indou,s on either side

of

tl.re door once allorved

light

and air

to

filter

in.

In

the

nineteenth

century.

however,

the-v

were

fitted rvith thick

rvindou, f'rames

and wire-netting.

This

is the

rcason,

inci-

dental1y. for

the increased

humidiry

and lack

of

ventila-

tion

lvhich

havc caused

the

deterioratiolr

of

paintings

insidc the

cave. The u.indou,

niches in t}le approximatcly

one-meter-t1-rick

rvall offcrcd

rvelcome

extra space for

painting.

What has sun ived

until

today arc thc

paintings

in

both niches

to

thc

right

of

the door. Although

poorlv

prcscrved,

the

paintings

are

of a high artistic

qualitl

and

allorv

us

to determine

their rcligious

content. Thus in the

first niche

there is a rcpresentation

of

t}re

Rahula

episode

(Schlingloff

2000:

No. 71),

on the opposite

side. In the

same niche

we

can sec

the

stor-v ol

tie

youth

Sumati

(Schlingloff

2000:

No.72)

to rvhom

the

Buddha

Dipankara

predictcd

his future

Buddha

hood. Similarly,

thc niche

of

the second u,indorv

is also

painted.

Its

right

side shorvs

a devotional

image

of

the Bodhisawa

Aval-

okiteSvara

(Zin

2003:No.

45.6). Thc mural

on the oppo-

site side is in no

poorer

condition than

the other three,

but

element. that

rrould

allorr an

inrerpreLation

f,re

not

easily recognisable.

This

is obviousll' the reason

tltat the

painting

has

never

been

published.

'I'he

ght

side of the narrow

painting (Fig.

1) dcpicts

the

Buddha

standing on

a

lotus.

Like

in the other

paint-

ings, the

installation

of the

rvindow

frame

cut off part

of

the

Buddha's

body. But

it

is unlikely

that

an-v

significant

iconographical

elements

rverc lost b-r tl-re removal

of

this

part.

The

sccne takes

place

in

front

of thc Buddha. Four

figures are visiblc: at

the bottom,

belo\\

the base

of

tie

Buddha's lotus. a man

squats or borvs dou n on onc kncc

and

is

rvorshipping d.re

Buddha

rvith

his hands lblded

together

in

a

gesture

of

reverence. Above

this

person

therc is another

hgure, or

pcrhaps

tJ-re

same

person

in a

different

scene.

The

figure

is

depicted in

a dynamic

movement

and approaches thc Buddha.

The depiction

of

the head

is

peculiar (Fig. 2):

the

hair

is standing

on

cnd

as it is dre casc

rviti

demons and

-

unique in Ajanta is

decorated

u'ith

small ringlets.

Above this

pcrson

thcrc

is

70j

Fig. 2

-

Detail from

Fig. 1.


10/17

The

Unknorvn Ajanta Painting

I

zrN

I

a

flying

dwarf.

Such dwarfs

are

often depicted in Aianta

as

bearers of

garlands

or

umbrellas. This

panicular

dwarf, however, is

not flying towards but away from the

Buddha. His hands

are held in a

gesture

of horror, a sign

wich is not only frequently

found

in

the

paintings

of

Ajanta but is also

a

universally recognisable expression

of

fear.

Once this mood

of

fright

is determined, it is no longer

difficult to

accurately identify

this scene. There are only

very

few

episodes in

which

the Buddha is involved

in

a

situation

that conveys a

similar mood. As

generally

recog-

nised,

the episode may

illustate

the assaults ofDevadatta

or

the

conversion

of

an

aggressive

person.

The

hair

on

the head

ofthe

aggressive

person

in our

picture,

standing

on end in demon

fashion,

could

give

the

impression

that

this is a scene which

cannot be

more

specihcally identi-

fied

than one which

shows

the

conversion

of

an

evil

Yaksa.

But at the bonom

of

the

painting,

a clear

sign has

survived that

points

to

a different interpreration

(Fig.

3):

a sword lies on the

ground

which

the

converted

person

has obviously dropped. If

the

aggressive

person

is

the

same

as the one kneeling, he would have to be equipped

with

a sword,

who would

certainly

be

shown

ready

to

anack.

On *re left edge of *re

painting

rve can see a

pre-

served fragment

of a venically disptayed object which

is

of

exactly

the

same

colour

as

the sword lying on

the

ground

(Fig.

4). The

painting's

reconstruction

results in

the

following

(Fig.

5):

a

person

with

a drawn sword is

striding toward

the

Buddha,

and, below, he

kneels.

The

sword he has

dropped

is

lying next to him on the

ground.

The scene is well-known

and can be easily identified.

It

is

the story of dre conversion

of

Angu[mala, the

mass

murderer.

There are frequent

references to and

narrations

of this

story in Buddhist literature,r

often in the connection

with

a

Jatuba

abo\rt Angulimdla's

previous

life

as

the

man-

eating

demon Saudasa, who was

converted by

the

right-

eous

king Sutasoma

and freed

from

his

murderous

impulse.2

It

is

possible

that

the

story

of

Angu[mah

derived

from the Saudisa narradve, known since

the

Veda. Both stories deal

with

the

fundamental

problem

of

true

Brahmanhood.

In

one

of

the Buddhist

narratives

about

Saudasa

we hnd

a

sentence central to

Angr

imnta's

conversion:

"I

am

standing

still,

you

are

not

standing

still. "3

The

oldest

surviving version of the Angulimala story

consists

of 25

verses

of

Theragathal. Apart from the dia-

logue, based

on tl]e

plzy

of words

thimlarriro,

which takes

place between

Angulimdla

and the

Buddha

"I

am stand-

ing still,

you

are not

standing still",s we

leam

dlat

the

present

Thera

is dre son

of

a Brahman.

He

used

to

be

hirysaka, the

bloodthirsty robber AngulimEla, and is now

ahimsaka and

the son of the Buddha.

Still,

in

the canonical literature there is a story which

is actually nothing

other than

a

commentary on

this

sec-

tion of

the "Verses

of

the

Monks".

It

is

the

Aigulimal.


11/17

and

who

wears

a

garland

Qnala)

made

ofhis

victims'fin-

gers

(anguli).

King

Prasenajit

organises

a military

expedi-

tion

to

hunt

dotvn the

mass murderer.

The

Buddha

goes

into the forest

in

which

Angulimala

lives and

performs

a

miracle

-

tie

robber cannot

catch

up

rvith

him.

"Stand

stilt "

Angulimala

calls. "I am standing

still,

you

are not

standing

still "

the Buddha

replies

and

-

by subsequently

explaining

that a

monk arrests

his desires

-

he conYens

Angufimela

and

takes him

to

a

monastery. King Prasena-

iit

visits the Buddha

and

is

delighted

to

learn

tiat the

vicious

murderer

can no longer

cause any harm.

The

same

story

is also

found

in

the

northern

Buddhisr

tradition,

namelS'

in t}te

fragmentarl'

Sanskrit

manu-

sc

pts

of

the Samluktagatna

probably

of

the Mrilasar-

vdstir.ada

school

(Hartmann

1997-98)r

and

of

rie

San.es-

tivAda

and

KS5yapiya

schools

presen'ed

in

Chinese

trans-

iations

(7

99 and

T 100,

Bareau 1985-86:

655). Unlike

the Pali version

in the Majjltinanihaya,

which takes

place

in

Sravasti, the

northern

renditions

are set in Magadha

(I

700) or in

Anga

(I

99);

accordingly,

King Prasenajit

does not appear in

these versions.

The

Pali version

in

the

MajjhimanikAjd incorporates

one more episode:

as a monk,

Angulimila

utters a

"word

of ttuth"

(satyaoacana)

to help

a \\'oman

who

has suf-

fered

labour

pains

for many

days

to deliver

her

child.

Angulimnla,

overcome

tviti

compassion

for

the woman

giving

birth,

receives

advice

from

the

Buddha, rvho says

he

should swear

that

he has

not

harmed

any

creature

since he was

bom. The monk

rejects this as

a lie.

The

Buddha then

asks

him

to

srvear

that he has

not

harmed

any creature

since he was

bom as a Brahman. Angulimela

su'ears and rhis has

an immediate

effect. It

is

to

be under-

stood

that Angulimala

became

a true Brahman only

at the

moment

of

his

conversion

by dre Buddha.

The oath,

called Aigtrlhnalapatitta,s

is still

knoivn

in

Buddhist

countries as a formula

to help

a

woman

in labour

(Gom-

brich

1971:

224).

The

episode

featuring

the

"word of

truth"

does not

figure

in

the

already mentioned

northern

versions

-

it

appears rc be associated

with

the town

of

Sravasti.

The

"word

oftruth"

is found also

in

Chinese

renditions, all

of

which

are

set in t}le town

of Sravasti:

in

tlle Ekottaragam,l

ofthe

Dharmaguptakas (?)

7125

(Bareau

1985-86:655-

56), two separate Hinayana

texts

ofundetermined

school

affiliation

T

718 and

T

119

(ibid.t

657),

and one

Ma-

hayana text

T

120

(ibid.:657-658).

These texts

rer.eal

further

narrative

features,

namely

a

motif

explaining

nhat

made the

youth

Angulimala engage

in such a murderous

occupation.

T

118 and I152

(Chavannes

1910-3.1,

Vol.

1: 148-157)

relate

that

tlle future

murderer

rvas a hand-

some

young

Brahman

male

with whom

the

lvife

of

his

teacher

fell in

love.

W'hen he

rejected a love

affair,

the

woman accused

him

in

her husband's

presence

of

seek-

ing

to

engagc

her

in

an

adulterous relationship.

The

teacher

tien

demanded that

the

l

outh

achieve

true Brah-

manhood

bl killing

one hundred

people.

This tvas

a

cun-

ning

plot

on

behalfofthe

teacher. In forcing the

youth

to

commit

such

a

crime,

he

planned to hand

the

yourh over

to

justice

authorities in

an act ofrevenge

that

u,ould

spare

xry

ri

,l

N

\

-"'5:: :2r

\-

---:::-

"--'

Fig. 5

-

Reconstructing

drawing: author,

';a'1


12/17

The Unknown Ajanta Painting

I

zrN

I

him the necessity

of

killing

his student

himself

-

a move

that would naturally

spoil his reputation.

The

plot,

with

its

Hippolytus motif

and the teacher's

demand drat the

youth

kill

one hundred

people

and cut

off

their

fingers,

culminates in the

addition

of the murderer's

mother, who

was to be

his

final victim and at the

last moment is spared

certain death

by

Buddha's conversion

of Angufmala.

Other versions

ofthe

story extend

the number of

victims

to one thousand and deepen the

plot

by the addition

of

a

mother driven into the forest out

of

a touching

desire to

bring her son something

to

eat

(Der

lYeise und

dcr Thot

300-307,324-26;

Chavannes 1910-34,

Vol.

4:

110-111).

The

question must

be raised

whether the

motif

of the

mother,

which

arises from the demand

of a vindictive

teacher, should

in

fact

be

viewed as a later development

of

the

text

(as

Bareau

argued

1985-86)

or

whether

the

story already incorporated

this motif at

an earlier

date

and was simply not always referred to in

its enttery in the

texts available to us.

The

same episodes

with

a

wife

in

love,

a teacher's

demand to

kill

one thousand

people

and a

motler

carry-

ing food also occur in a Pali commentary

literature

from

the 5th century,

namely in Papartcasudanie

and Para-

ruatthqdipani,lo

It

appears

that

these narratives,

which

underwent

changes in both the northern and southem

tra-

ditions,

stem

from

a common and most likely

canonical

text

which has not survived

until

the

present

day.

Art

also

provides

evidence

that

all of the

story's

episodes

were known

in

earlier times, both in

the South

and

in

the

North. The

mother

was

part

of

the narrative

from an early date.

The oldest known reliefs of the

Angdimda

episode

stem from temporatly close epochs

but

geographically

dis-

tant regions,

namely

from

Amaravati and

Gandhara. In

7c8

Fig.

6

-

Relieffrom Amaravati,

Madras Musum.


13/17

Fig. 7

-

Relief from

Nagarjunitonda, Nagaiunikonda

Museum-

one Amaravati friezerr

the story is reduced to

one

picture.

Angr

imala

is

seen

here twice: firsdy with a raised sword

attacking the Buddha

(depicted

in

the

form

of a column

of fire), and secondly kneeling

before

him.

Opposite the

Buddha there is a female

figure widr

a

pot,

obviously the

mother.

The

sarne scene is

presented

in

another Amara-

vati relief

(Fig.

6).

Here the

group

below represents the

early deeds

of Angulimala,

perhaps related ro the

military

operations

organised by King Prasenaiit.

On dre

left

side

monks are

seated,

probably

observing

Angulimala's

admission

to the monastery. There

is no sign of a

garland

of fingen

on Angulimala, all he is

wearing is a Brahman's

stdng.

Another

relief

(Fig.

7-8), from

Nagarjunikonda, to

my knowledge

previously

unidentified, is

not diffrcult to

interpret even drough it is badly damaged:

the middle sec-

tion at the right shows the killings,

whi.le at the left

Anguli-

m6la

is

presented

on

his knees before

the Buddha.

The

motler

can

be

seen

standing on the other side

ofthe

Bud-

dha.

The upper

section

shows

t}le

visit

of King

Prasena-

jit,

while on the

right

side

Angdimala

is seen shaving

in

Fig,

8

-

Drawing,

preparation

for his entry into monkhood. Though rather

damaged, the lowest section is key to determining the date

drat the

Angulmala

story

eisted

with all is components.

It shows nothing other

tlan

one episode from the early life

of

the

future

mass

murderer

-

a scene

at school. On the

right side,

t}te

teacher's

wife

stands widr her husband she

who

caused

the 99-fold misfomrne. As already men-

tioned

the earliest

surviving

reference

to

this

episode

in

southem

Indian

literature

derives

ftom

the 5th century.t2

The

relief

pre-dates

it by

c.

two cenruries.

\i7hile

the

damaged

relief

from Nagarjunikonda does

not

reveal

any more

details, one can make out

that

the

murderer

is wearing

an

extremely

broad

Brahman

suing

tajfropalnta.

This

could

be the

garland

of

hngers.

Anguli-

mala appears

to

be taking it

off

as he kneels before the

Buddha.

The

reliefs

from

Gandhara

present

the Angulimala

story in

two

or

thee

successive scenes in the space

ofjust

one picture. Angulimila

anack

the

Buddha

with

a

srvord,

while

his mother

is

standing

nearby, he is t]ren

709


14/17

The Unkno$'n

Ajanta

Painting

I

zIN

I

shown on

his knees before t}le

Buddha

(Fig.

9),

or there

is an additional

scene

in

r,vhich

the murderer

is attacking

the mother

(Fig.

10).

A

painting

in Hadda

is

arranged

in

the

same

manner.rs

In contuast,

paintings from Cental

Asia only show

Angulimala's anacl5ra

sometimes

with the

mother on the other

side

of

the Buddha.15

While the

Cen-

tral

Asian

paintings

depict the appearance

of

Angulimala

in

a conr.entional

rvay,

in

Gandhara

he

is equipped

with

an attribute

-

namely

a

characteristic

head-dress.

At times

it

appears

to

be a

crown of

fingers.

But

the

individual

parts

of the cror,vn

are

sometimes

too large

to be intended

as fingers, above

all 99 or even

999 of them.

Brancaccio

(1999)

identifies

them as dre

head ornaments

of

savage

forest

inhabitants.

Angulimala's crown

is also

reminiscent

of demons'

hair standing

on end.16

In what

is

to

my knowledge

the only depiction

of

dre

Angulimala

story in the art

of Pala

Gig.

11),

in which

the

murderer

is

seen

drawing his sword

on

one side

of

the

Buddha and the

mother is

found

on

the other,

Anguli-

mala's head is

portrayed

in

a

peculiar

manner.

Above

the

forehead

tlere

are small

ringlets, above

which

in turn

we

see

hair standing on end

in

typical demon

fashion

And

above

this there are

five round objects,

the signilicance

of

which

is

unclear to

me.

They might

be the

curls

of a

Brahman

pupil,

or

spherical

objects

with

which

certain

demons

or

Mdral'

are equipped.

\7hat

is certain

is that

the

pointed

shapes

on

Angutmnla's

head

in

the

Pala

sculpture

are

not

the leaf

crown

of

ar atal)i

or

a

finger

garland.

The

finger

garland,

incidentally,

is

featured

here

in

the

fotm

of

a

yajiiolaaltd.

Fig. 10

-

Reliefftom

Gandhara,

Pdvate

Colection, O Sherriet

afler

Kurita 1988-90,

Vol 1,Ii9.472.

Following

ttris summary

of

comparable

Indian

depic-

tions,

we

retum

to

the Ajanta

painting.

Angulimala

is

shown

here twice,

during the

attack and

after his

conver-

sion. It is very

unlikely that

the mother

was also

lepre-

sented.

If

she

was, the

picture

was

destroyed

when

dre

windorv

frame was

installed.

The

hair

of the attacking

Angulimala

stands

on end,

demon

fashion,

and

above

the

forehead

there are

the

same

type of small

ringlets as found

in the

Pala sculpture.

Unfomrnately,

the top

of

the

head is no longer

visible,

so

it

is

impossible

to

determine

whether

the

ltve

spherical

objects

rvere also

part

of the composition.

Even

without

these objects,

the murderer's

appearance

is

far more

rem-

iniscent

of

tie Pala sculpture

than

depictions

found in

other regions.

However,

the finger

garland

is

not shown

here, neitlrer

in rhe

lorm

of a

yajDopaz,4a

nor

as a crown.

Perhaps

the

garland

was depicted

lying on the

ground.

A

fragment

of

a

no

longer identiiiable brightly

coloured

object

can be recognised

above the

sword. Directly

verti-

cally

above

this

unidentifiable

remnant

there

is

the left

hand of

the upright Angufimala,

in which

there

seems to

be something

reminiscent

of

a

pearl

necldace.

Perhaps

it

was

the

grisly garland,

aig imaln.

Contary to

the art of

Amaravati

and

Gandhara,

lvhere the

conversions

of

Yakgas

and

Nagas

are

fre-

quently

depicted,

the

paintings

in

Ajanta do

not feature

conquests of

the evil-minded.

Obviously

such sto

es

rvere not

popular

among

donors

in

this region.

For

this

reason

the

Angulimala painting

is

exceptional

lt

may

be,

hor,r,ever,

that the

painting

was

not created

to depict

a

dif-

Fig. 9

-

Relieffrom

Gandhara, Chatpat, Chakdara

Museum

2333.

7ra


15/17

hcult conversion.

The

paintings

in

the

neighbouring

niche

portray

dte stories

ofRahula and

Sumati. We know

the two

pictures

belong

together

because

t}Iey

appear

alongside

one anodrer in

other

places,

namely

in other

paintings

in

Ajanta

O/asant

1991)

and in

reliefs in Gand-

hara

(Taddei

1974,

1992).

This

raises

the

question

of

whether the

Angulimala

painting

was conceived

together

with another

painting

in the

same niche. The

painting

on

the opposite

side depicts

a

certain

Bodhisatva, most

likely

Avalokite6vara,

who is being

worshipped by women. As

proven

by

Pal

(1974:33-34),

Avalokitesvara

was

wor-

shipped by women

hoping

to conceive.

In

this

light

the

Angulimala

painting

acquires new significance.

Integral

to this story

is

the

aigulimalapaitta,

a

protective

formula

used

for

births. It is derived

from the

"word

of

truth"

and

refen to

true Brahmanhood.

All illusE'ations (unless

specifled)

by

aurhor.

Fis. 11

-

Relief

from

Nalanda

(?),

Pala

Pedod,

9th

certur], 20

U2

x

13

x

6 inches.

Elvehjem

Museum

of Art, Lhivemity of

wisconsin-Madisoq

Gift ofMr. and

Mrs. Earl Morse 1972.26,

e Elvehjem Museum ofArt.


16/17

The

Unknown Ajanta Painting

zrN

N OTES

I

For more records of the story mentioned

in this

paper

cf.i Hartmann 1997-98. Apan

from the

references listed there, the

following

additional

references to the story or the

person

of Ang]]li

m5la

may be mentioned: Mrlaargga

I.41,

cd.

Vol.

l,

p.74;

transl.

SBE

/

13 196]. Milinda-

,fr,lrd,

ed.

p.410j

transl.:

Vol.2, p.290;

Dha

trndpadduhakefia XIII.10,

ed. Vol.3,

p.

185i transl. Vol.3: 25j XX\4.39,

ed. Vol.4:

230-31; tmnsl. Vol.

3r 338;1dld&d 55, ed.

Vol. 1,

p.275;

transl.:

p.139t

lai,Aa

537, ed. Vol. 5,

p.456;

transl.: 216;

Jdtakd

546,

ed. Vol.6,

p.329;

tansl.: 156; Fa-hien,

ct

Beal 1884:

XLIVj Hiuen Tsiang,

cl Beal 1884, Vol. 2: 3j

Sabpafrn;iatikd Slotru,Vers

127, Hocrnle 1916:

'73t

Mala.'alnta XXX.84,

ed.

p.242;

transl.:

205_

I

For records of the

ston of Saudasa, represen-

urions in an

as

\iell

as

references

to

the research

on

the narrative marerial of

Saudasa /

Kalmatapada,

cf. Schlingloff 2000:

No.56

(Sutasoma).

t

lnbha

537, ed. Vol.475:

titluhii ,tlujd

tuuo

so toatlt

sd

has;

latDtukhuol

a*ito

llfio

l

hiti

kprsi b,ohaacdi

iJr rc

,andaa

a) ttrn,rs;i

cd tne

t artrtasi karyhapauan

,/l

transl.: 259:

"Alfioush I

bid the stand, thou srill

dost for

\\ard fl,'i, an cI''ting

"Lo

I stand, mcrhinks drou

dosl bur lie: Unseeml-r

1i$ this sr\rcrd, O

priesr,

thou must assume

to

be a

harmless

shaft

equipped

wirh

heron's

plume."

a

Thcrugatha

866-891, ed.

pp.80-82;

transl.

pp.82-84.

I

l hcrasatlfi

866, ed.

pp.80-81:

eacch.ltl,

r:odesi

REFERENCES

Det lveise

and der Thor

=

Dzans bhu'2es

bra

ba'i

,/./o,

ed.

+

iibers. IJ. Schmidt. St.

Petersburg

/

Leipzig,

1843.

Dlta lrtdpadanhakathA,

cd. H.C. Norman,

Ir,

Cowneuary on rhe Dhalwtapada.

l-4, PTS,

London 1906-l2i

transt. E.W.

Burlinganre,

BndJhN Lqends.l-3,

Han'ard Oriental

Series

/

28-30, Cambridge,

Mass.,

1921.

J,trrld.

ed. Fau.hiill.

V..

ThpJ tosett@

w

hi,

Conrnentary,

beiq'lales

oI the

A teior Binh:

oJ Gota n Bulldha, 1-6, PTS, London.

1877-

96r

transl. E.B.

Co$ell

(ed.),

The

l"

ot c Sto-

ies ol the Buddha's

Fonnet

Bi

ts, Trun'lated

Iron

E Pdli

bt

ltarious

hdrA, 1-6, PTS.

Cam-

bridge, 1895-1907.

tUahatassa, ed.

H.

Oldenberg, The l/iuya

Pilahan:

One oI

*c

Pnncipal Buddhtu

Hob'

Scrbnies in

the PAli lrngldAe, Vol.

l, London

1879t transl.

T.W.

Rhys Davids

&

H.

Olden-

betg, Vilata Texts,

Sscted

Books of

the

Ea$

/

13, 17. Oxfo.d, 1881-82.

sa,tatla

ltito

'nhi

nar&fi ca

briisi

lllitary

atthito

'ti,

puc.lta|lita

sd

to'Mcta,l atllu h,Ls td tltito

rxary ahau

allhiro

lthiil;

ldansl. p.82:

"r|lile

going

along,

ascedc,

you

say

"I

am standing

srill",

and

you

say

ihat I llho am

sranding still

am

not srrnding

,till.

I

ask

\ou

tht. ,rsceLic.

"VIhy

are

you

standing still,

and

I not

standing

still?"

6

Majjhnnaihal'a 86,

ed.

Vol.

2,

p.97-10s;

transl.

p.

284-92.

I

1Drd.

also

references to further

fragments

of

manuscripts including the

story.

I

Alread refened

ro

this

\\ay in

Mili

daoaitlw

Il.4

(ed. p.

150-51):

pxnd

Blwgaxatd

paittd

@

uddili

seyythidautl Rannasuua't1 Khandki-

pa

i a,lt Morapaiuat t Dt,aia1sa

paitattl

Atd,n i-

yapaittdry

AnslintAtapanira,,

tr.rnsl.

(Vol.

1,

p.2ll):

Safety

runes

\yere however appointed

bt

the

Lord,

that is to

sa"v

the

Jervel

Sufta,

rhe

safetr'-rune in $e Khandha(ka), fie Peacock

safcry-rune, the

Crest

of the

Banner safe{-rune,

the Alanaliya

safery-rune and Angulimah's

'

Majjhnndnibdrat*akatl,a of Buddhaghosa, ed.

Vol.3: 328-32; analls.

in:

Gombrich

1996:

r38ft

lu

Thcragalar*aha&d of

Dhanapeh,

ed. Vol. 3,

p.

54-56; transl.

ini

Mrs.

Rhys Davids

1913:

318-

25j

snalys.

in: Gombrich 1996i 138ft

'r

^,ladras

Museum, ill.: Burgess 1887:

pl.

48,

fig. 4i Coomarasilam ' 1935:

pl.

2,

fig. 9.

':

One

rclief from

Amaravari

i 'ith the

represen

tation

of

scenes

from a

Brahman

school

was

identified by Sivaramamurri

(1942:

192)

as the

Angulmala story.

The interpretadon is not cer-

tain,

honeler,

as the relief ends

\ ith

these

Mahduatrsa,

ed. Geiser, W. PTS, Oxford 1908;

transl. Geiger, W.,

'l'he

M' or th? Grcat Cl|rcn-

blc ol Cellnn,

P-fS,

London,

t9t2.

Majjhi a ihayd, ed.

V. Trenckner

&

R.

Chalmers,

1-3, PTS. London 1888-99;

bansl

The

Colbction

oJ thc Mi.tdle Iznsrh Satines,LB.

Homer, 1-3. London, 1954-67.

.Uihkiapanho.

ed.

V. Treckner. The .V"

bens

Dialosues betueen

Ki,tg

Mihnda

and

the

tsud-

dhit Sase

Ndgasena,

PTS, London

1880;

transl. LB. Horner, Milinda\

Questio

s, 1-2,

SBB. London, 1963-64.

Papaiasnda

,

ed.

Vol.1-2,

l.H.

woods,

& D.

Kosambi,

Vol.3-5, LB. Homer,

e,

dl,

P,

M


17/17

Debjani

&

Prangopalr

P.

(1989)

Jusr

the

One

Finger Yet:

A Rare Represenrarion

of Anguli-

mala in Peh

tul. Sr&d,ler h An

anA

Archaeolo$)

of Bihar

a

d Bengal

=

N.K. Bhattasali

Cente-

nary

Votun4

ed..

D. Mita

& G.

Bhattacharya.

Delhi, pp.

35-39.

Foucher, A.

(1905-51)

t'an

srico-bou&lhique

d

Gandhdn, Etude

sut

les

orisines de I'inlluenc,

chssique dans I'an

bouddhique de I'Inde et de

I'

Exfi

me

-Orienr, l-2,

P ar]-s.

Gombrich. R.l-.

(19't)

Prcftpt aad Ptu,tn?.

Oxford.

Gombrich, R.F.

(t996)

Hou Buddhisn

Besan:

ThE Conditioned

Genest oI the

Earlt

Teachinss.

London.

Haitinann,

J.U.

(1997-98)

Sanskit Fragments

tuom

\e

Agamas

(I)r

The

Angutimalasrtra.

Indnlosia

Taurinensia

23-24

=

hoJ.

Grusor)

M. Bongard-Izdn Fehcitatian

Volune, T oi,no,

pp.351-362.

Hoerr e, A.F.R.

(t9t6)

Manuscipt

Remains

of

Buddhi:st Literaaoe

found

tn Eastem Tu*Nsta

.

Oxfod.

Hunliogton,

J.

& Humingron,

S.L.

0990)

An

Unusual lmage from the Pala Period

Showing

fie Buddha

Converting the Robber

Anguli-

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Rri:hM De.uo

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Valume,

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(d,

aL).

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pp.375-381.

Insholt,

H.

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