A carpenter of a village near Bārāṇasī was once wandering in the forest, and having found a young boar in a pit, took him home and brought him up. The boar was well mannered and helped the carpenter in his work, and so he came to be called Vaḍḍhakīsūkara (“Carpenter boar”). When he grew up, the carpenter took him back to the forest, and there he came across some boars who lived in mortal fear of a tiger. The young boar drilled his army of boars, arranged them in battle array, and awaited the tiger. When he arrived, the boars, under their leader’s instructions, mimicked the tiger in all he did. The tiger, thereupon, sought the advice of a false ascetic who shared his prey, and, following his counsel, made a leap at the boar leader and fell into a pit which had been dug for him. There the boars attacked him and ate him, and those who were unable to get any of the flesh sniffed at the others’ mouths to see how “tiger” tasted. Then they set off after the false ascetic, and when he climbed a fig tree they dug it up and it fell to the ground. The man was torn to pieces and his body licked clean. The boars then placed their leader on the tree trunk, consecrated him king with water, which they fetched in the dead man’s skull, and made a young sow his consort. (This is how kings came to be consecrated with water from shells and seated on a throne of fig planks.) The Bodhisatta who was then a tree sprite sang the boar’s praises.

The story was told in reference to Dhanuggaha-Tissa (q.v.), who was responsible for Pasenadi’s victory over Ajātasattu. J.ii.403 ff.