Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology
by Sreyashi Ray chowdhuri | 2018 | 90,477 words
This page relates ‘Ahigundika Jataka’ of the study on Amaravati Art in the Context of Andhra Archaeology, including museum exhibitions of the major archeological antiquities. These pages show how the Buddhist establishment of Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) survived from 4th century BCE to 14th century CE. It includes references and translations of episodes of Buddha’s life drawn from the Avadanas and Jatakas which are illustrated in Amaravati art.
Ahiguṇḍika Jātaka
[Full title: Jātakas and Avadānas in the Amarāvatī Art: Ahiguṇḍika Jātaka]
Story:-
When the king Brahmadatta was ruling Banaras, Bodhisattva was born in a family of corn merchants. He earned his living by selling corn. One day a snake charmer named Ahiguṇḍika caught a monkey and trained it to play with a snake. During a festival at Banaras he left the monkey to the corn merchant for seven days and roamed about making sport with the snake. On the seventh day the snake charmer got drunk and beat the monkey with a bamboo. He took him to a garden, tied him and fell asleep. The monkey broke loose from his chain and climbed up the mango tree and sat there eating fruit. On waking up the snake charmer saw the monkey perched upon the tree and the snake charmer tried to get it back. The monkey was too clever for him and reminding him of his cruelty that morning he ran off and was lost in a large crowd of fellow animals[1].
Depiction:-
The monoscenic narrative episode of the Jātaka is seen on a fragment of an upright (Pl 15d). It shows king Brahmadatta seated in ardhaparyaṅkāsana with his right hand outstretched on his ornamental royal throne in the company of his queens and attendants. They are enjoying the performance of the snake charmer and his monkey. The depiction of the tree at the end of the panel suggests that the incident took place in a pleasure garden. The snake charmer holds a circular box with his raised hands on which a snake lifts itself up on its tail to dance before the king. On the left side is the queen seated on a wicker cane chair with her left hand outstretched. The female behind the throne is shown holding a basket of fruits in an act of giving them to the snake charmer but waiting for orders of the king. The hand gestures of the king and the queen suggests that they are in the act of giving instructions to the female attendant. This specimen is kept in the Madras Government Museum[2].
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Cowell E.B, Op.cit, Vol III -IV, No. 365, pp 130-131
[2]:
Sivaramamurti C, Op.cit, p 206, pl XXXVI, fig 1