92. Decoration of the Bodhi-trees

And as the Bodhisattva came near to the Bodhi-tree, eighty thousand Bodhi-trees were decorated by the gods sons and the Bodhisattva's: "While here seated, shall the Bodhisattva attain the Wisdom and become Buddha". At the foot of all these Bodhitrees suitable lion-thrones were placed covered with all kinds of heavenly stuffs; beneath some a lotus-throne was prepared, under others a perfumethrone and again under others a throne made of various precious stones. The Bodhisattva fell into the meditation called Laditavyuha and as soon as he had attained this Bodhisattva-meditation, he became visible under all the Bodhi-trees, sitting on the lion-throne, his body strewing all the signs and tokens. And every Bodhisattva and gods son thought: "On my lion-throne sits the Bodhisattva and not on another's". (288: 11, 20).

Although this relief very plainly indicates the adornment and honoring of different trees, there is very little else that agrees with the passage in the text. Not because there is nothing to be seen of the various appearances of the Bodhisattva, for that is a later phase of the story to the actual decoration; but because there are no thrones at all depicted to give the spectator any notion of what the decoration is for. In the foreground we see three trees and in the background Some more; they are richly decorated with an umbrella, bells and jewels and of course in a stylisated design. The three first ones have an incense-burner on each side, and in front of the left and righthand one is a shell filled with flowers, on a pedestal; the middle one has a pot with a lid. On both sides of each tree sits or kneels a god in various attitudes, either making a sembah, or with a water jug or bowl in the hand, or looking after the incense-burner. It is noticeable that these figures are alternately male and female, while the text speaks only of gods sons and Bodhisattva's.