At the top we see the Buddha being worshipped by two devotees. The yaksha Vajrapani, his bodyguard, stands behind him. A begging bowl standing on a throne crowns the scene. Below, in the centre, the Buddha receives a visit from the Vedic god Indra and his retinue in the Indrashalaguha cave. On the left, the Buddha tames the mad elephant Nalagiri, who was sent by a jealous monk to harm him. On the right, two children are offering the Buddha a handful of dust from the earth, as alms. The style of this relief betrays the Hellenistic and Roman influence characterising the Buddhist art of Gandhara. This region in the north-west of ancient India (now part of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan) had regular mercantile contacts with the west.