Wrestlers

Upper decorative band of frieze. Unclad child figures (eros, plural erotes) wrestle between acanthus leaves. The relief displays a high artistic quality. Wrestling was present in Gandhara not only as a form of physical exercise that remained here from the time of the Indo-Greek kingdoms and was organically connected to Greek culture, but also had strong roots in Indian culture: it is already mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, called mallayuddha. It was also related to the story of Buddha's life: the young prince excelled among his peers in archery and wrestling, and in addition, he had to prove to his father that he was worthy of the hand of his chosen one, Princess Yasodhara, in a wrestling tournament.
Wrestling eros are frequent decorative motifs of Gandhara panels.
Its material is Himalayan gray slate.