112 A. Cunningliam — The ArchcBological Survey of l'^7Z-74i. [May, 



(6.) — Bhisaharanii/a Jdtaka. A rishi (or sage) is seated in front of his 

 hut, with a man and woman standing before him, and a monkey seated on 

 the ground, who is energetically addressing the sage. 



(7.) — Latuiva-Jdtalcam. — The " Latwa-bird-birth." — This legend ap- 

 parently refers to some story of a bird and an elephant, of which I heard 

 a curious version in Kashmir in 1839. In the bas-relief there is a bee 

 stinging the eye and a bird pecking the head of an elephant, with a frog 

 croaking close by, while the elephant is treading on a nest of young birds. 

 To the right the same (or a similar) bird is sitting on the branch of a tree 

 over an elephant who is running awa}" with his tail between his legs. Near 

 the top the hind half of an elephant is seen rushing down some rocks. In 

 m}^ Kashmiri version an elephant while feeding throws down a nest of 

 young birds into a stream, where they are all drowned. The parent bird 

 seeks the aid of the bees and mosquitoes, who attack the elephant with 

 their stings, and having half blinded him he rushes off towards the stream, 

 and plunging headlong down the rocks is drowned. The fable seems in- 

 tended to show the power of combination. There can be no doubt that the 

 two legends are substantially the same ; and it seems probable that we may 

 find other Buddhist Jdtakas still preserved in modern legends after the 

 lapse of more than 2,000 years. Perhaps this particular legend may be 

 found in the Fancha Tantra. 



^3,) — Vitura pimako/ya Jdtakam. — I know nothing of this story 

 Vitura may perhaps be a mistake for Vithurd " a thief." 



Of illustrations of the life of Buddha during his last appearance there 

 are some good examples. The earliest of these is a medallion containing 

 Maya's dream of the white elephant, which is superscribed Bhagavato 

 JJkdanti. A second scene belongs to the reign of Ajdta Satru, King of 

 Mao-adha, in the eighth year of whose reign Buddha attained Nirvana. 

 This is labelled — 



Ajdtasata Bhagavato validate. — Some of the well known assemblies of 

 the Buddhists would also appear to be represented, of which one is called 

 the Jatila Sahha, of which I know nothing, A second belongs, I think, to 

 a later period of Buddhist history, about midway between the death oi 

 Buddha and the reign of Asoka. This sculpture represents a large assembly 

 and is duly labelled — 



Sudhamma Reva Sahha Bhagavato Chudd Mahd. — The words Beva 

 Sahha I take to mean the assembly or synod which was presided over by ' 

 the famous Buddhist Priest Revato just 100 years after the death of Buddha, 

 or in B. C. 378. 



But the Bharahut sculptures are not confined to the legends and 

 events connected with the career of Buddha, as there is at least one bas- 

 relief which illustrates a famous scene in the life of Rama. In this sculp- 



