As indicated by the inscription, this ayagapata was dedicated to Mahavira, the 24th Jina, by Vasu, the daughter of a courtesan. Not only does it represent the importance of stupas for the Jains in the region at the time, it also depicts a sectarian tradition of monks known as Ardhaphalaka or partially clothed, active in the Mathura region till the 3rd century. In this plaque they appear as flying above celestials and venerating the stupa. Two female dancers are depicted standing on the railing surrounding the stupa. At the lower corners, enshrined within their own niches are a male yaksha (identified by scholars as Naigameshin due to his goat face and presence of a child) and a female yakshi. Both seem to have their right hand raised in a gesture known as the abhaya mudra (freedom from fear) reassuring the devotees with their presence.
Inscription: "Adoration to the arhat Vardhamana! A shrine of the arhat, an assembly hall for an object of worship , a cistern , and a stone slab were established in the sanctuary of the Nirgrantha arhats by Vasu, a junior (?) courtesan, [who is] the daughter of Lonalobhikat, the matron (?) courtesan, and the female disciple of the ascetics, with her mother, her sister, her daughter, her son and her whole household, for the sake of honoring of the arhats”.
Translation by S. Quintanilla (Āyāgapaṭas: Characteristics, Symbolism, and Chronology. Artibus Asiae , 2000, Vol. 60, No. 1 (2000), pp. 79-137).