Loriyan Tangai: Life of the Buddha - Parinirvana

PAKISTAN, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar

The sculpture was unearthed from a temple site in Loriyan Tangai, Peshawar. The Buddha is in the center of this high-relief sculpture, lying on his right side with feet overlapping and his hand supporting his head. There is a footstool in front of the bed, while a sala tree is located on each side. The Buddha is surrounded by disciples, deities, and people from the Malla clan. Along the frieze above are a row of figures riding on dragon-like beasts.
The figure meditating in front of the bed on which the Buddha lies is Subhadra, the last disciple of the Buddha. There is a staff by the disciple’s side with a water bag suspended from it. Vajradhara is on the other side of the footstool slumped on the ground, with his right hand raised in grief. Ananda, the Buddha’s attendent, is kneeling and weeping in sorrow supported in Aniruddha’s arms at the foot of the bed. The figure holding a whisk at the head of the bed is Upali, one of the Buddha’s disciples.
Two tree spirits can be seen on the sala tree behind the Buddha, and a horde of figures with hands raised, head in hands, or hand on chest are gathered around the central tableau. The turbans and ornaments they wear identify them as aristocrats, perhaps the Malla. The figures in the back row and hovering above them are heavenly beings and apsaras who scatter flowers in recognition of the Buddha’s passing into parinirvana.