File:Sanchi 7-20.jpg

Upper register: Shyama jataka. In this jataka tale, a self-centered king shoots Shyama with a poisoned arrow, in order to find out whether Shyama is a god or a mortal. Shyama, being mortal, dies from his wound. The king then repents, and Shyama is restored to life by Indra. Shyama's hut and blind parents are shown in the upper right corner. Below, Shyama (with water jug) bathes in the lotus pond where the king's arrow strikes him. The king is shown three times (continuous narrative): drawing his bow (far left), observing the result (middle left), and finally repenting (middle, next to Shyama). Shadowed in the upper left, all the characters join Indra to celebrate the story's happy ending.

Middle register: Mucalinda protecting Buddha. The scene depicts Mucalinda (center front) and his court. Mucalinda is a nagaraja, a serpent king who protects the Buddha. In later sculptures, the Buddha is usually pictured as sheltering beneath Mucalinda's cobra hoods. Here, Buddha is represented aniconically, as a parasoled tree above the serpent king. At Mucalinda's side in the left foreground are two of his queens, backed by three attendants holding a dish, a jar, and a chauri (fly whisk). On the other side of Mucalinda are his dancers and musicians. Flying above the court are two kinnaras and two heavenly maidens, one riding a griffin and the other a winged lion.