Last Existence: Visit to the Ascetics

Part of a relief depicting two scenes with ascetics. There are large parallel chisel marks on the back. Base and cornice are very worn, but they likely were plain fillets. The two scenes depict different moments of 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. Of the scene on the right remain two standing ascetics: the one on the right is a young ascetic holding a kamaṇḍalu in his left, while the right hand is raised and placed on the corresponding shoulder. He stands frontal with the head tilted to his right, toward an elderly ascetic, his teacher Bāvari. Bāvari has the upper body turned toward his left. His right arm is raised in an unidentified gesture. The next, very damaged, scene depicts remnants of two more ascetics, the one on the right holds a kamaṇḍalu in his left.