And king Cuddhodana living the life of a brahmacarin without attending to the affairs of state, perfectly pure as those who retire to the forest of repentance, was concerned only with the exercise of the Law. (72: 20).

Only the sequence of the text makes it probable that the above passage may really be depicted upon this relief; but it is not clear and the identification remains very doubtful. On a throne, right, under a canopy, a plainly-dressed person is sitting, unfortunately rather damaged, this might be the king who has retired from the world; he makes a gesture of refusal to the group before him, separated by an incense-burner. This group consists of a number of women, also plainlydressed and surely no ladies of the harem, unless they have followed their masters example; they are kneeling on a platform with a few trees behind it. Quite in front, below the nearest woman, a person (sex doubtful) has thrown himself at the feet of the king.

On the platform follow some sitting and kneeling men, some of them bearded, none of them well-to-do, some with smooth brushed-backhair and some with hair tied up. These too are turning towards the king. Quite on the left stand three better-dressed men, the first with a dish full of wreaths, the next with a fly-whisk; perhaps royal servants, perhaps some of the festive (akya's mentioned in the text of the previous relief. As the text gives no decisive statement about what these people are up to and there is evidently something on hand not included in the above quotation from the text, this must remain an unsolved mystery.