Buddhist sculptural art

Undoubtedly the Buddhist sculptural art at Bhārhut, Bodhgayā and Sāñchī are thematically paralleled to the early sculptures from Amarāvatī. It may be emphasized that the bulk of the sculptures of the Śuṅga period consisted of Jātakas and Buddha’s life story. Contemporary art centres also exhibit the same content of which Amarāvatī art figured prominently. Among several episodes of Buddha’s life story in the Sunga phase, some episodes reveal striking resemblance to the Amarāvatī narratives. (Pl 38b)

In this regard attention may be drawn towards the depiction of Buddha’s birth on the Bhārhut medallion(Pl 38c). In this narrative Queen Maya is seen reclining on the bed while a large sized elephant is hovering above. The scene is inscribed as bhagavato ukranti (Sanskrit garbhavakranti)^[1]. The elephant as the object of dream together with reclining Māyādevī is also visible in other Amarāvatī reliefs concerning the depiction of Buddha’s birth. However, the posture of sleeping Māyādevī with several flexions seen in the Amarāvatī narrative preserved in the Indian Museum Collection is absent in the Bhārhut medallion. It may be added that in Amarāvatī art the elephant is not always represented in Buddha’s birth scene. The specimen in the British Museum Collection (Pl 38d) bears testimony to this.

Inclusion of the Sālabhanjikā motif in case of Buddha’s birth and nativity scene in the Amarāvatī reliefs is an interesting feature of this repertoire. While the Sālabhanjikā motif is depicted at Bhārhut and Sāñchī as a Yakṣī, the motif was possibly used for Māyādevī for the first time by the Amarāvatī artists in the birth scene of Buddha. The reason for such a depiction was possibly the urge of the artists for connecting the fertility symbol, that is, Sālabhanjikā to the event of the birth of the Master^[2]. In this regard it may be emphasized that the Sālabhanjikās may be considered as tree nymphs or beauties associated with trees^[3]. They are connected to fruition and hence represent fertility. The Buddhist biographical literature like the Nidānakathā affirms that Māyādevī was ordained to give birth to Buddha while standing^[4]. Such descriptions might have inspired the sculptors of Amarāvatī to establish a relationship between Māyādevī and Sālabhanjikā. The association of Sālabhanjikā with Buddha’s birth became a norm in later schools of Indian art.