Jamal Garhi: Life of the Buddha

PAKISTAN, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Jamal Garhi

This fragment was unearthed from Jamal Garhi and depicts stories from the Life of the Buddha. The heads on the relief have been damaged and the sides are missing so it is impossible to identify some of the stories represented. There is no background detail or separation between stories, further adding to the difficulty.
“The Dog and the Pile of Gold,” taken from the Madhyama Agama, is shown on the left of the fragment. It relates how, as the Buddha was passing a house, a dog barked viciously at him and was admonished by the Buddha. When the dog’s owner demanded an explanation, the Buddha told him that the dog was once his father. The owner asked the dog where his late father hid his hoarded wealth to verify this and was led to his bed, beneath which he discovered a large amount of treasure. The dog can be seen in the relief sitting on top of a bed and barking at the Buddha, who is identified by his nimbus and monastic robe. A glimpse of treasure is visible beneath the bed. Several figures are lined up behind the bed and to the right, presumably the owner and other family members.
The center of the relief depicts the conversion of the three Kasyapa brothers from the Abhiniskramana Sutra. A vicious fire naga dwelled within the shrine of these fire-worshippers, but the Buddha utilized his powers to tame and trap it within his alms bowl. The three brothers then became his disciples, along with all their followers. The Buddha is holding a damaged bowl in the depiction. A bare-chested figure to the left is identified as the elder Kasyapa, while the naked figure on the other side is Vajradhara, the Buddha’s Dharma protector. The rest of the figures are the other brothers and their followers.