Bharhut: Mahakapi Jataka

INDIA, Madhya Pradesh, Bharhut

This carving illustrates one of the former lives of the Buddha and was found on a railing post at Bharhut. In this life, the Buddha is reborn as a monkey king. He led his troop into the royal gardens to search for food during a drought. When the ruler orders his army to hunt them down, the monkey king makes a bridge of his body, so his troop can cross to safety but is mortally injured in the process.
The monkeys in the fruit trees on the right scramble to safety across their king to the other side. Royal servants hold a canvas open directly below them to catch the monkey king. The two kings are seated together at the very bottom of the carving; the monkey is explaining the motivation for his self-sacrifice and advising the human ruler to protect his subordinates in the same spirit. The monkeys are presented in profile while the humans have their faces turned towards the viewer.