Mara’s Army

PAKISTAN

The subject of Mara’s army attacking Sakyamuni is often treated in Gandharan art. This is a fragment from a larger relief and it depicts the moment when the demon troops are massing for the assault. The power of Mara is shown by the multitude of the horde, arranged here in three rows, wearing turbans or helmets on their heads. At the bottom, the troops are in human form, wearing surcoats and carrying swords, shields, and spears. One demon wears boots, while the others go barefoot.
The demons in the middle and upper row are beast-headed but in human form. Some are fanged, while others have hairy faces. A number of them wield cudgels or daggers. The figure on the middle right wears a lion-skin headdress and open coat to reveal a bearded and flat-nosed face on his chest. Despite the fantastical array of appearances, there is more of a comical than fearsome air about them. The base at the bottom is decorated with patterns of four-petaled flowers.