Last Existence: Visit of the ascetics

Part of a curved frieze depicting 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 cornice is composed by a plain fillet, topped by a projecting festoon with simplified lanceolate leaves between plain fillets. There are large vertical parallel chisel marks on the back, smaller parallel tool marks on the top. To the left of the top side there are remnants of a socket for cramp, on the bottom there are two rectangular tenons. In what was originally the centre, the Buddha is sitting inside a cave in padmāsana and dhyānamudrā. He is wrapped in the overrobe covering his feet. The right arm is in an unidentified position, while the left holds the hem of the saṃghāṭi. On the upper left and upper right of the cave there are two identical figures of Vajrapāṇi, who is sitting frontally on the cave and holding the vajra in the right hand, the left is resting on the leg. He has short curly hair. On his sides there are upward branches with lanceolate leaves. To the right there are four ascetics turned toward the Buddha. They all wear a short skirt. The closest to the cave, as young one, is on his knees prostrating to the Buddha, he holds a kamanḍalu in his left. The next one, an elderly, is standing holding his wated flask in his left and raising the right hand in a gesture of adoration (mukula-hāsta). The third one, another elderly, stands with hands joined and an uttarīya hanging on the right arm. The last young ascetic stands almost frontal, the left leg flexed, and the upper body and head slightly tilted toward the buddha. He holds a kamaṇḍalu in his left and the right hand is up in mukula-hāsta. To the other side of the cave, the relief is damaged and only remains another kneeling young ascetic, mirroring the one on the opposite side. His right hand is taken to the forehead in another variant of the mukula-hāsta.