Last Existence: Visit of the Ascetics

Part of a relief 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 moulded cornice is decorated with a projecting straight festoon between a plain fillet. The top face features two vertical, rectangular sockets, the bottom face two vertical, rectangular tenon. The back face shows tool marks. The figured field displays seven ascetics – from the right, the second and the sixth are young, the others elder. They are all standing in left three-quarter view except for the second and third figures, who are possibly caught in a conversation. The former figure is shown frontally and holding a kamaṇḍalu in the left hand, while the right is partially clenched with the thumb and index finger joined at the tips. The latter figure is seen back-turned with the right hand open up. The same gesture is performed by the next figures, while the other ones are probably in mukula-hāsta, a gesture of adoration. All the figures wear a loincloth with looped upper hem. The young ascetics additionally have an uttarīya covering the left shoulder.