The banner reproduced on the right (Ch. xx. 008) on a scale almost
full size belongs to a well-defined series of banners, all of the same
style and workmanship, illustrating scenes from the story of Gautama
Buddha.[27] The scenes are all simple in design and divided from each
other by low hill ranges. Their number in our banner is only three, as
shown also by the three cartouches, all left blank.
The top scene shows King Śuddhodana seated on the verandah of his
palace and giving instructions to the mounted messenger to be
dispatched in search of Prince Gautama after his flight from the
palace. The figure, short and squat, of the messenger is characteristic
of the whole series; that of the horse, compact and heavy in build,
suggests a type like that of the present Mongol pony. In the next scene
we see the messenger engaged on his quest, carrying a red pennon and
galloping to the left. The rapid movement of the horse, here bay with
red spots and white mane and tail, is effectively rendered.
The scene below represents the messenger returning and reporting to the
king the futility of his search. Śuddhodana is seen as before seated
on the palace verandah while two musicians outside beguile him with
flute and pipe. Further down in the foreground are shown an enclosure,
containing a lotus tank and a bamboo tree, and outside its entrance a
small hexagonal structure with an oblong yellow object within. Higher
up kneels a white-coated man playing on clappers. The significance of
the objects in the foreground is not clear. The drawing, though rough,
shows vigour, and the general effect is bold and in the more active
scenes full of character.
On the left of this banner is reproduced, on half-scale, what
remains of the left-hand portion of an interesting but unfortunately
much-damaged large painting on silk (Ch. 0059). The colour of the
original is remarkably strong and the subject unusual. It represented,
when complete, the figure of Śākyamuni standing erect in the grotto
of the Vulture Peak (_Gṛdhrakūṭa_), famous in the story of the Buddha,
and by his side Jātaka scenes of a type not met with elsewhere among
our paintings and so far unidentified. Though only the right shoulder
and arm of the Buddha figure survive, there can be no doubt about its
iconographic character. The rocks, dark blue and brown, which appear
piled behind and above, with the vulture perched on the top, would
render this quite certain.
The identification is fully confirmed by the pose of the Buddha. The
arm hanging stiffly downwards at full length and slightly away from
the body, with fingers also stretched straight down, is seen again in
the central Buddha of the great embroidery picture of Plate XXXIV and
in the figure undoubtedly representing Śākyamuni on Gṛdhrakūṭa, which
the painting shown in Plate XIV reproduces among other Indian statues
of Buddha. The representation in the embroidery picture is recalled
also by the deep yellow colour of the flesh in our painting as well as
by the shape and certain details in the canopy. The elongated vesica,
cobalt blue in its border, and the light green and vermilion nimbus are
both edged with flames and cloud scrolls in vermilion and dark blue.
More true to nature than the vulture on the top is the flight of wild
geese and ducks shown above.
A disciple with shaven head, probably Śāriputra, stands by the side of
Śākyamuni and turns towards him. He shows an unconventional type of
features drawn with much vigour. The head is long and high at the back,
with well-defined ‘corners’ there and over the forehead. The large
nose, bushy eyebrows, and long pointed chin give a strongly marked
character to the head. It is set off by a circular halo of brilliant
vermilion. The costume, too, is peculiar; it consists of an under-robe
of vermilion and light green, black shoes upturned at the toes, and a
large mantle of mottled dark green, blue, and red, which covers both
shoulders and arms.
The legendary scenes which appear on the side of the painting
are preserved in a very fragmentary condition and still await
interpretation. But that they are connected with a statue representing
Śākyamuni on the Vulture Peak seems clear. In the background of the
top scene there appears a statue of a Buddha in the same pose as the
central figure, with the right arm stretched down stiffly. To the left,
in front of a building (temple?), stands a shaven priest, pointing out
the statue with his raised arm to passers-by below. In the foreground
is seen a man in brown coat and top boots riding a mule with its legs
hidden behind hilly ground. Behind him a white elephant, with a load
of yellow objects, but rider or driver no longer visible, proceeds in
the same direction to the left. On that side appear the roughly drawn
figures of two men with black beards and shocks of black hair.
The next scene below is even more puzzling. In the middle are seen a
pair of colossal hands rising from the ground and enclosing a human
head in red. To the right four conical objects, suggesting tents and
striped horizontally, form a row; a large vermilion pennon is shown
above one of them. Behind them a man on a dark grey horse is seen
riding rapidly. His right arm is raised as if to strike, and two
mounted attendants follow him. The foreground to the left shows on a
green slope a row of unexplained leaf-shaped objects, and above this
two semi-naked figures incomplete.
Very curious is the bottom scene. The God of Thunder appears above on a
cloud within a ring of drums which he beats in violent movement. In the
centre, before a background of rocks, is shown a large Buddha statue
within a scaffolding of vermilion poles. That the statue represents
Śākyamuni on Gṛdhrakūṭa is made certain by the downstretched right arm
and also by the characteristic pose of the left hand, which gathers up
the drapery in an ‘ear’ at the breast, just as the figure in Plates XIV
and XXXIV shows it. On either side of the scaffolding is perched a man,
busy with his hands at the statue’s head and steadying himself with one
foot at its shoulder. At the back of a building on the left a man seems
to give instructions to the workers, while at the foot of the statue
there squats a small figure with arms and legs outspread like the
Thunder-god’s. The latter’s figure in fury is shown again by a small
detached fragment below.
For a conjectural explanation of the scaffolding, which might be
connected with some miraculous translation of a sacred statue,
reference to _Serindia_ must suffice here.[28] But whatever the legend
represented in our side scenes may prove to be, we cannot fail to note
the striking contrast between the stiff hieratic image and the life and
vigour in the rest of the picture.