Qixia Temple Relic Pagoda: Life of the Buddha - Eight Great Events

CHINA, Jiangsu, Nanjing; Southern Tang Kingdom

Events from the Buddha’s life are carved in relief around the pagoda’s base. Some scenes do not perfectly match the traditional eight scenes and some are in the form of a continuous narrative. One carving, for example, combines the scenes in which Prince Siddhartha sees for the first time, an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and an ascetic.
Another carving combines the scenes in which Sujata, a shepherdess, prepares milk rice and offers it to the prince; as well as the scene where the prince bathes himself in the Nairanjana River. The evil Mara has raised the bank so that the prince cannot get out of the water, but a Tree Deity bends a branch to support him. The scene in which the prince resists Mara’s attempt to prevent his enlightenment shows the prince in meditation. Mara sends a storm and then leads an army of demons against the prince, but is thwarted.
The Four Heavenly Kings in another episode offer bowls to the Buddha to use as alms bowls, but he refuses. This takes place against a decorative background of trees and mountains, while on the lower left a lion pays homage. The last scene shows the Buddha passing into parinirvana between twin sala trees. The Buddha’s coffin is in flames on the left.