of Brahmanic influence. It is purely Buddhist and built for
purposes of edification. The worshippers performed pradakshina by
walking round the galleries, one after the other, and as they did so
had an opportunity of inspecting some 2000 reliefs depicting the
previous births of Sakyamuni, his life on earth and finally the
mysteries of Mahayanist theology. As in Indian pilgrim cities, temple
guides were probably ready to explain the pictures.

The selection of reliefs is not due to the artists' fancy but aims at
illustrating certain works. Thus the scenes of the Buddha's life
reproduce in stone the story of the Lalita Vistara[410] and the Jataka
pictures are based on the Divyavadana. It is interesting to find that
both these works are connected with the school of the Mulasarvastivadins,
which according to I-Ching was the form of Buddhism prevalent in the
archipelago. In the third gallery the figure of Maitreya is prominent and
often seems to be explaining something to a personage who accompanies
him. As Maitreya is said to have revealed five important scriptures to
Asanga, and as there is a tradition that the east of Asia was evangelized
by the disciples of Asanga or Vasubandhu, it is possible that the
delivery and progress of Maitreya's revelation is here depicted. The
fourth gallery seems to deal with the five superhuman Buddhas,[411] their
paradises and other supra-mundane matters, but the key to this series of
sculptures has not yet been found. It is probable that the highest storey
proved to be too heavy in its original form and that the central dagoba
had to be reduced lest it should break the substructure. But it is not
known what image or relic was preserved in this dagoba. Possibly it was
dedicated to Vairocana who was regarded as the Supreme Being and All-God
by some Javanese Buddhists.[412]

The creed here depicted in stone seems to be a form of Mahayanism.
Sakyamuni is abundantly honoured but there is no representation of
his death. This may be because the Lalita Vistara treats only of his
early career, but still the omission is noteworthy. In spite of the
importance of Sakyamuni, a considerable if mysterious part is
played by the five superhuman Buddhas, and several Bodhisattvas,
especially Maitreya, Avalokita and Manjusri. In the celestial
scenes we find numerous Bodhisattvas both male and female, yet the
figures are hardly Tantric and there is no sign that any of the
personages are Brahmanic deities.