When the Buddha Shakyamuni was living in the Indrashala cave on the Vulture Peak (Gridhrakuta) Mountain near Rajagriha (modern Rajgir), Bihar, he was visited by the chief of the gods, Indra (also known as Shakra [Sanskrit] or Sakka [Pali]). The Buddha presented a sermon to Indra now known as the Sakkapañha Sutta (Sakka’s [42] Questions), which is contained in the Digha Nikaya (Collection of Long Discourses, 2:21).
The Buddha sits in the meditation posture (padma asana). He holds his hands in the teaching gesture of Turning the Wheel of the Law (dharmachakra mudra or dharmachakra-pravartana mudra). On the base of the stele, Indra wearing his tall mitre crown is seated in front of his elephant mount, Airavata. He is conversing with two monks. The monk closest to Indra is squatting and has his hands held in the gesture of veneration (anjali mudra). The other monk is kneeling and appears to be extending an offering cup in his right hand. He holds an indeterminate object in his left hand. In the upper left-hand corner beside the Buddha’s head, a flying celestial honors the divine occasion.
This relief is believed to be the only extant depiction of Indra’s visit to the Buddha sculpted at Sarnath. The auspicious event is more commonly portrayed in the art of Gandhara (see M.73.4.6).