78.Āyāka cornice with four narrative roundels

  • Late 3rd century
  • Nagarjunakonda, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
  • Archaeological Museum ASI, Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh

This beautifully realized panel presents four key moments in the Buddha's spiritual journey (right to left: Prince Siddhārtha proclaims his intention to renounce his royal privilege, leaves his father's palace in the Great Departure, resists the temptations of the demonic celestial king Māra, and delivers a sermon as the Buddha. Sculpted in a mature Nagarjunakonda style, each scene is contained within a lotus-edged roundel separated by amorous couples (mithunas) who stand on lotus pedestals between garlanded pilasters. Acanthus-leaf designs luxuriantly fill the voids surrounding the roundels. A long inscription on the upper molding records it as the gift of the leader of a guild, dedicated in the late third century CE.