Illustrated Manuscript of the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra

INDIA

This illustrated manuscript of the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra on 227 palm leaf pages is the earliest dated illustrated sutra from India. The sutra is transcribed in Sanskrit characters accompanied by illustrations of stories from the Life of the Buddha.
The illustration of the Monkey Offering Honey is inspired by a story from the “Chapter on Abbhutadhamma” in the Madhyama Agama. It depicts the monkey from the Parileyyaka forest that took the Buddha’s alms bowl and went up a tree to fill it with honey. Seated on a Sumeru throne, the smiling Buddha holds out both hands to receive the alms bowl. The monkey is shown three times. On the left, the monkey climbs the tree to collect the honey. The monkey stands before the Buddha offering the bowl on the right, and then dances with joy after the offering is accepted. Typical of Indian art, the three events are shown in the same illustration. In the top right corner, an apsara is depicted holding a parasol and scattering flowers. Leaves and flowers are painted within the Buddha’s nimbus. This bright, colorful image is characteristic of art from the Pala period (circa 8th–12th century).