Many Buddhist monuments discovered in India and Indonesia consist of reliefs and paintings representing narratives. The gates, or toranas, of the “Great Stupa” found at Sanchi in India are an example of reliefs representing these narratives. These reliefs were erected during the Andhra period (3 rd century B. C. E. – early 1 st century B.
C. E. ).
The “Great Stupa” was a reliquary, which is said to contain the remains of Buddha’s disciples. The “Great Stupa” at Sanchi is surrounded by four toranas, each facing a different cardinal direction (i. e.
north, south, east, and west).
The architecture of these four gates is almost identical. Each consists of two columns or posts which are conjoined with three cross beams known as architraves or lintels. Triratnas (symbol of Buddha, his Law, and the Monastic Order) are placed above the highest architrave on top of the two columns. The supports for the triratnas are wheels which represent “dharma” or Buddhist law. Below the architraves on each of the main columns, four elephants are carved with riders, traveling counterclockwise.
Each toranas have a number of different reliefs engulfing the entire structure. Each of the toranas at Sanchi depicts jatakas, stories of the past lives of Sakyamuni, on the three architraves. These stories are confined on the architraves between the two main columns of the toranas. The jatakas on the North Gate narrate the “Temptation by Mara”, the “Vessantra Jataka” and the “Return to Kapilavastu.” The “Temptation by Mara” is about Sakyamuni being attack by demon armies sent by Mara when he was meditating.
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The army was unsuccessful in stopping Sakyamuni. The “Vessantra Jataka” is a story about the last human rebirth before the Buddha is reborn as Siddhartha. The East Gate contains a relief of the famous “Monkey Jataka” This jataka was about the Sakyamuni as a king of the monkeys protecting the other monkeys by shielding them from arrows with his body. Also on the East Gate, the jataka of “The Great Departure” is located on the middle architrave. The jatakas are important for understanding Buddhism because they show that it takes many cycles of reincarnation to reach enlightenment.
The East Gate also has reliefs depicting shalabhanjika. The relief is a simulated architectural bracket; it does not support anything. This relief is an indigenous goddess of the area. The goddess is a yakshi (female earth deity) and is also a fertility goddess. The depiction of yakshas and yakshi are most likely placed on the toranas to relate to the indigenous people of this time whom did not yet understand the teachings of Buddhism.
The toranas had images of Buddha but he is not represented in figural form. The Buddha is represented on the toranas in aniconic representations. The Buddha is represented symbolically as a wheel, footprints, a throne, and other types of symbols. On the North Gate, one architrave shows seven Buddhas of the past. On this carving the Buddhas are represented an iconically as trees and stupas.
The narratives are shown on the architraves of the toranas displayed many different jatakas on all four entrances of the “Great Stupa.” The figure of the yakshi shows how the creators of the toranas appealed to the indigenous people of that area. The reliefs existing on the toranas at the “Great Stupa” of Sanchi are excellent examples of reliefs representing narratives.
