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This scene is based on the rise and downfall of the once-virtuous King Māndhāta, an avadāna story from the genre of Buddhist literature concerned with karmic actions and their consequences. In this version, a world sovereign (cakravartin) wields miraculous powers that he acquired through practicing virtuous kingship according to the laws of the Dharma. Having brought prosperity and happiness to his subjects, over time he becomes infatuated with his own powers. His ambitions know no bounds, and he seeks to conquer even the worlds of the gods. When he presumes to sit upon the throne of Indra, king of the heavens, he is cast down to earth. Here the mighty cakravartin is seen trampling the defenses of the nāga world, one of Indra's heavenly defenses.