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Image depicting Subjugation of the Elephant at Ananda

Keywords : Bagan, The sculptural series narrating the story of the Buddha’s life, Ananda

Site common nameAnanda
Type of artworkSculpture
Province/CityBagan
StateMandalay
CountryMyanmar
Geographic Coordinates
Decimal degree		Lat : 21.165
Long : 94.865278

History of productionKing Chansittha ordered the construction of this chedi. The legend had it that monks from India told him the story about Nunthamul cave in Kunthamat mountain. He then ordered the construction of this chedi to be the same as the cave. Buddha images in the chedi may be built at the same time with the chedi.
ArtThis Buddha image is a part of the set of sculptures narrating the Lord Buddha life., which are located in the circulambulatory and the square halls. The set of sculptures narrating the Lord Buddha life here is the most complete on in Pukam art.
PeriodHistorical Period
Art periodPagan
Age16-18 centuries BE.
ReligionBuddhism
SectTheravada
Religion and beliefScripture both in Theravada and Mahayana coincide that the Lord Buddha could miraculously calm down Narakiri elephant. Narakiri elephant is a crazy elephant sent by king Thevathat to kill the lord Buddha. When he was getting offerings in Ratchakruk with his disciples, he touched the elephant’s head and it was calmed down.
Related artworkThis sculpture is the lord Buddha standing with his disciples in front of Narakiri elephant, which is portrayed as a small elephant at the angle of the lord Buddha. The lord Buddha and his disciples are much larger than the elephant, showing different level of importance. This is a Pala way of portraying the scence, which clearly influnced Pukam

Type of LicenseAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)
RightsPrincess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre
Date of record creation2015-07-00
Record creatorChedha Tingsanchali