Dīpaṁkara Jātaka

It is a fragment of a broken frieze, surmounted by a denticulated cornice. This story relates that in the mythical city of Amorn, the student Sumedha (or Megha) is said to have received from the Buddha of the past Dīpaṁkara ('The Lamp-bearer', 'The Bringer of Light') the prediction of his next incarnation in the guise of Buddha Śakyamuni. In the centre is the Buddha Dīpaṁkara, nimbed, of the same height as the other protagonists. At his side stands Vajrapāṇi, depicted almost naked, waving a fly swatter. Behind him stand two monks representing the community; a frequent anachronism. The future Buddha is depicted at four points in history. On the far left of the relief, the young novice haggles over the purchase of flowers to the young girl, here missing. He then throws a flower at the Buddha before prostrating himself at his feet. Finally, he is carried off into the air, represented as a small orant near the Buddha's head. The scene here is again a continuous narrative depiction; more faithful to the scriptures, this unconventional composition suggests that the sculptor sought to illustrate the story.

According to tradition, the Dīpaṁkara Jātaka was held in the Nagarāhāra region, which seems to explain its success in Haḍḍa. Indeed, since the Buddha never came to Gandhāra, it must have created its holy places (and presumably some, if not all, of its relics), most often based on the Buddha's previous lives, especially the "prophetic" Jātaka such as the Dīpaṁkara Jātaka and those recounting the great sacrifices, such as the Śibi Jātaka.

HADB n° 464