9» THE GANDHARA SCULPTURES. 



lower tier towards the right, where he is seated fully robed 

 — this is, probabh', of late date, — and a still smaller figure is 

 seen to the left of it. 



The Mahayunist sect created a series of beings called 

 Bodhisattvas — somewhat of the dignity of archangels — :beings 

 who, if they were to assume human natures, would become 

 Buddhas and attain Nirvana : they do not become incarnate 

 in order to be more serviceable to humanity, and so are much 

 worshipped under such titles as Maitreya, Padmapiini, ManjusrI, 

 Vajrapani, &c. Maitre3'a is expected by and by to assume our 

 nature and become the next Buddha. Four of these appear in 

 the plate: — (i) At the top, in the centre — an all but perfect 

 figure — perhaps of Maitreya ; (2) to the right of his feet, a 

 smaller figure that has lost the feet; (3) on the left of the 

 plate, near the bottom one with a finely-chiselled head ; (4) on 

 the extreme right below, a seated figure, wanting the head — also 

 perhaps Maitreya. 



Atlantes for supporting copings, &c., as well as Caryatids, 

 were known in Greek art, and in this plate we have two 

 examples — a larger one, just under the central Bodhisattva, 

 the head evidently copied from an Atlas figure, and a 

 much smaller one, but with wings, to the right and some- 

 what higher. On the extreme left and right are two small 

 figures of entirely different type that would be used in like 

 positions. 



Much of the sculpture in the Buddhist monasteries on the 

 North-West Frontier represented scenes from what are known 

 as the Jiitaka stories, or parables from the previous births of the 

 Buddha, and events in the legend of his own life. On a curved 

 sculpture on the left of the plate are three of the latter, the right 

 hand one being the birth of Siddhartha from his mother's side, 

 the central one, the chariot and cavalcade, taking her home as a 

 bride. The central slab below, with animal figures on it, is of 

 purely western conception, and does not belong to any properly 

 Buddhist story. 



