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#Garuda abducting Queen #kakati, sculpture from Gandhara.
2nd-3rd century.
There are many jatakas (Buddhist tales) about the former lives of the Buddha. In this one, he was born as the king of Benares and ruled with his beloved queen, Kakati. The royal solar bird Garuda
2nd-3rd century.
There are many jatakas (Buddhist tales) about the former lives of the Buddha. In this one, he was born as the king of Benares and ruled with his beloved queen, Kakati. The royal solar bird Garuda
came to the court disguised as a man and gambled with the king. He then became enamored of the queen and abducted her. But when Garuda heard of the king's great sadness and of his true love for Kakati, he restored her to him.
In #Gandharan depictions, the victim of the eagle
In #Gandharan depictions, the victim of the eagle
kidnapping is a lady. She is often shown with a snake, coiled around her and the eagle's beak. The eagle is no longer a representation of #Zeus but of Garuda, the Hindu eagle deity. Garuda's main enemy are Nagas (Hindu mythological snakes), which he eats.
He is linked with Aruna, the charioteer of the sun god Surya, and is often shown as a mount for Vishnu, one of the three main deities of Hinduism and a symbol for royal duty or power. Garuda wearing a turban and earrings links him even more closely with Vishnu.
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