BORASAN 
775 
rayed circle, which like a nimbus or cloud of glory sur- 
rounds his head, is clearly visible. The figure of Buddha 
himself, which was cast in a separate piece, has simply 
been broken off (p. 773)- When complete it almost 
certainly had the same appearance and shape as the 
image of Buddha depicted on the left in the illustration 
below. The aureole, or wheel with spokes, “of which 
none is the last,” played an important part in the re- 
ligious symbolism of the Aryas of the Veda ; indeed it 
was regarded by the Buddhists as a typical symbol of 
the Vedic religion in general. In the Rig- Veda the 
BRONZE BUDDHAS FROM BORASAN 
One-half of natural size 
wheel is frequently employed as a metaphor for poetic 
similes. For instance, “ Sakra, the God of Thunder, 
with the lightning in his hand, rules all men, even as 
the rim of the wheel holds the ends of the spokes in its 
grasp ” (Grtlnwedel). 
Of the three illustrations shown above, the middle 
one represents a Buddha with a lotus leaf for a back- 
ground and the stalk of the lotus flower under his feet. 
In all probability the picture exhibited several similar 
leaves and stalks. If that were so, we should have a 
representation of a bodhisatva, a variation of the su ject 
depicted on the shield. 
