What is a Jataka Tale? The Mahakapi Jātaka at the Great Stupa of Sanchi
Speaker: Dr. Cortney Chaffin Kim
The Monkey King
This video explains what a jātaka is in Buddhist literature and art, using the story of the Monkey king as an example. The monkey king jātaka is featured in a sandstone relief at the Great Stupa at Sanchi, dated to the 1st century BCE. We take a close look at this narrative relief, explaining how it is read and what its original function was in early Buddhist art.
Mahakapi Jātaka relief, Great Stupa (Stupa 1), 1st century BCE, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
Video chapters
0:11 What is a jātaka tale and who is the monkey king?
0:26 Buddhism and its origins
01:21 A close look at the Mahakapi Jātaka at the Great Stupa at Sanchi
03:29 Reading and understanding the Sanchi monkey king relief
04:45 What is a stupa?
04:59 The Great Stupa at Sanchi
05:34 Function of the narrative reliefs at the Great Stupa at Sanchi
Learn more
Discover more about Buddhism.
See more resources about early Buddhist art in South Asia.
