Cave No. 9
Proposed identification: Schlingloff 2013.—A hermit was planning to leave his forest habitation because of the ongoing drought. To make him stay back, four animals offered gifts of food to him. An otter gave him seven Rohita breed of fish. A jackal gave a stolen dinner consisting of two skewers of meat, a cup of curdled milk, and a lizard. A monkey gave him mangoes and water. A śaśa (hare) had nothing to offer. So, it hurled itself into the fire and gave him the roasted body. To commemorate the hare’s sacrificial death, a stūpa was erected over its remains.—The hare was none other than the Buddha in his former existence.
—Source: Singh 2019, 31-33;
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