Last Existence: Great Departure

Fragment of a figured relief probably representing the Great Departure. Prince Siddhārtha leaves the palace at night mounting his horse Kaṇṭhaka and accompanied by his loyal charioteer Chandaka. According to Buddhist literary accounts, spirits support the hooves of the horse to prevent noise and wake up Siddhārtha’s family. The scene was encased between a framed pilaster of the Gandharan-Corinthian type, of which only the left one is preserved. The base is plain. On the top face is a tenon. A male standing figure is holding an umbrella in the left hand. The right hand is open with the palm facing out as indicating direction. He is slightly turning right, while the head looks at the opposite direction. The head and hairdo are worn. He is wearing an uttarīya draped over the left shoulder and a paridhāna with pointed ends and an exposed girdle. A short, flat necklace and a pair of bracelets on the right wrist are still discernible. On the bottom right are probably the remains of Kanthaka’s leg originally being held and raised up by a yakṣa. In the background are the leaves of a tree.