Category: Cave 1
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#50. Maitrībala
Cave No. 1 Identification: Schlingloff (1977b, p. 913).— There lived a king by the name of Maitrībala (‘The Power of Benevolence’). He was extremely benevolent towards his subjects. Five demons, disguised as brahmans, entered his kingdom. They saw a lonely cowherd and asked him why he was not afraid of living on his own. The […]
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#44. Mahāsudarśana
Cave No. 1 Identification: Schlingloff (1987, p. 59f.).— A great king, Mahāsudarśana, ruled over the ancient and prosperous city of Kuśāvatī (Kuśinagara). The king was known for his sense of justice and was loved by the people. Once, some citizens went to him and offered him gold, jewels, and other precious objects. The king hesitated […]
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#46. Śibi-Kapota
Cave No. 1 Identification: Foucher (1921, narrative no. 15).—When Lord Indra complained about the imperfections of human beings, his architect Viśvakarmān drew his attention to King Śibi who was an archetype of justice and compassion. To test Śibi, Indra asked Viśvakarmān to assume a pigeon’s (kapota) appearance, while he became a falcon chasing the pigeon. […]
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#75.Udrāyaṇa
Cave No. 1 Identification: Schlingloff (1987, p. 60). The legend is from the life of the Buddha.—King Udrāyaṇa of Roruka received a painting, representing the Buddha, as a gift from his friend, Bimbisāra, the king of Rājagṛha. Udrāyaṇa was so impressed by this painting that he summoned a monk to preach the Buddhist doctrine to […]
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#40. Sudhana
Cave No. 1 Identification: Schlingloff (1973a, p. 155–167).— There was a nāga (one of a race of semi-human serpents) prince who ruled over a kingdom abutting his father, the nāga king’s, kingdom. Once a snake charmer sent by a human king to capture the nāga prince was killed by a hunter. On hearing how the […]
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#59. Śaṅkhapāla
Cave No. 1 Identification: Foucher (1921, narrative no. 13).—A nāga (serpent) king named Śaṅkhapāla visited a hermit to find out the reason behind his rejection of the worldly life. The hermit instructs the nāga king that he must practice asceticism to be reborn as a human. Thereafter when Śaṅkhapāla was practising asceticism a group of […]
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#45. Janaka
Cave No. 1 Identification: Goloubew (1927, p. 16).— King Janaka of Videha believed that a person’s willpower was responsible for his successes. Once he was rescued from a shipwreck by a deity after he managed to keep afloat for a while on the sheer strength of his will. His will power also helped him secure […]
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#41. Kalyāṇakārin
Cave No. 1 Identification: Schlingloff (1976, p. 5–16).—Two princes, Kalyāṇakārin (‘Doing Good’) and Pāpakārin (‘Doing Evil’), bore the characteristics of their names. Once, Kalyāṇakārin, accompanied by Pāpakārin, embarked on a sea voyage in search of wealth as endless charity had emptied out the royal coffers. During their voyage, Kalyāṇakārin found a blue wishing-stone in a […]
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#38. Mahoṣadha
Cave No. 1 Identification: Goloubew (1927, p. 16). A prince was banished from his kingdom due to a court intrigue. He managed to reach Videha, his uncle’s kingdom. Shortly, the uncle died. So, the prince was crowned as the king of Videha. He found that there were six very corrupt ministers. So, he curtailed their […]
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#80. Māravijaya
Cave No. 1 Identification: Griffiths in Burgess (1879, p. 14). The legend is from the life of the Buddha.—Indra, disguised as a grass-cutter, offered a bundle of straw to the Bodhisattva who had reached the stage just before the enlightenment. The Buddha first sat in the vajrāsana posture (vajrāsanam abhiruhya or Diamond Seat), then paryaṅkam […]