Last Existence: Visit of the Ascetics

Fragment of a relief possibly representing 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. The base is plain. The fragment preserves three ascetic figures, the first is kneeling in right profile, the second and third are standing. The third ascetic is raising his right hand. His hair is tied in a globular knot.