Having thus mused, the Tathagata rose up front Bodhimand. a, and made tremble a complex of three thousand great thousands of worlds; he went forth gradually further through Magadha and came on his journey to the land of Kanji. (405: 1).

As mentioned before, the text says nothing about what this relief represents; at any rate the Buddha has begun his journey to Benares and has not yet encountered the ajIvaka-monk, whom we shall see on the next relief. I have therefore only quoted the few lines of the text that describe the beginning of his journey. The Buddha is coming from the right where some trees cut off the scene,, he has the tip of his garment in the left hand and holds out the right. Next to him an umbrella is fixed up, there is a stand fitted with flowers or suchlike, and on the ground a heap of something that looks too like flowers; on top is a large lotus from which a flame rises. Then we see three persons, not very well-dressed, who are paying homage to the Buddha, the two front ones stand, one with a dish of food and the second (a woman ?) l) with a lotus in her hand, the third is kneeling and holds a rather indistinct bowl. Still more to the left, between two trees, is a building on a high foundation, it has a niche with kalamakara-ornement, and a little tower on the middle of the roof looking just like the usual style of small temples. Quite on the left we can see under some trees another group of worshippers sitting with a tray of garlands from which a line of perfume rises, a dish of food and a bowl of flowers. Though the meaning of this scene in hidden from us, I must mention that according to Pleyte (p. 153), this might be the homage of king Bimbisara, a suggestion I am not able to contradict, but that rests only on the supposition that this prince would not let the Buddha pass by unnoticed.