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A sculpture of alabastel that may represent a royal philosopher absorbed in meditation Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan.
nandananatha and the Buddhist legends contain the story of the noble Mahākapi who was all intent to save his followers at the cost of his own life. As late as seventh century A. D. the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen-tsang refers to monkeys who offered honey to the Buddha near Vaisāli
"The pilgrim next tells us about the Monkey Tank, which was to the south of a stone pillar about 50 feet high surmounted by a lion, at an Aśoka tope, to the north-west of the Relic Tope. He says the Tank (or Pond) had been made by monkeys for the Buddha, and that the latter resided at this place. Near the west side of the Tank, he continues, was a tope on the spot at which the monkeys took the Buddha's bowl up a tree for honey to give him; near the south bank was a tope at the place where the monkeys presented the honey; and near the north east corner of the Tank was a picture (or image) of a monkey."
(Watters: Yuan Chwang, Vol. II, p. 65).
6/JAINTHOLOGY
