Last Existence: Story of the White Elephant

Part of a relief showing the Story of the White Elephant. Devadatta, Siddhārtha’s cousin, kills the state white elephant at the city gate of Kapilavastu, blocking the passage. After Ānanda’s unsuccessful attempt to throw the animal away, the Bodhisattva manages to hurl it out the city’s wall thanks to his physical strength. On the left the scene is framed by a pilaster of the Gandharan-Corinthian type with stepped base. The base of the relief is plain. On the back face there are some large chisel marks running vertically from the top to the bottom. A tenon is preserved on the bottom face of the relief. The dead spotted elephant is shown on the ground, facing left, with the rear leg folded in an unnatural position, the vertebrae clearly sticking out on the back. The slightly reclined position of the head adds to the dramatic pose of the dead animal. Behind the elephant’s back there are three damaged standing male figures, the one on the left holds a spear in his right, all three figures wear a necklace, on two of them are still visible round earrings.