Last Existence: Visit of the Ascetics

Fragment of a relief preserving the bust of an ascetic on the right and the hands and bust of another figure on the left. The relief possibly depicted the Visit of the Ascetics. The Brahman teacher Bāvari sends his sixteen brahmin students to the Buddha to answer questions about the goal of his teachings and how to attain the same. Each of the sixteen ascetics pays the Buddha a visit in Śrāvastī and astounded by his teachings, they eventually convert to Buddhism. In the lower section of the fragment, between the two figures, are the remains of a square nail hole. On the right was an elderly ascetic standing in the right three-quarter view. He has straight, short hair with a globular knot held by a ring or string. On the left are the remains of a second figure standing in the right three-quarter view. His hands are joined in a gesture of veneration. The figure was possibly dressed in a tunic with an eyeleted hem and a mantle covering the left arm.