Muga Pakkha Jataka

The medallion presents the story of Muga Pakkha Jataka,
according to which the Bodhisattva was born as Temiya, the
son of the king of Benaras. He took a vow of austerity and
pretended to be deaf and dumb and a cripple and all
attempts to test his sensibility failed. After sixteen years,
the king decided to get rid of him and asked his charioteer
to remove the prince in a chariot to an unknown place and
bury him there alive. The charioteer carried him away and
began to dig a pit for his burial. At that very moment
Temiya's vow of silence ended and he began to talk to the
charioteer. He eventually became an ascetic. On the left, the
king is seated in a pavilion with the child in his lap. The
charioteer, who has brought the Prince in a chariot drawn
by four horses is seen at the extreme right digging a pit,
while the Prince with folded hands, is in conversation with
the charioteer. At the top, the Prince in ascetic habit is
seated in a grove indicated by two trees flanking him. The
inscription reads: 'mugapakhiya jataka' (the episode of the
Dumb Being).