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Bingling Temple Cave 169: Thousand Buddhas
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Bingling Temple Cave 169: Thousand Buddhas
CHINA, Gansu, Linxia; Western Qin Kingdom (385-431); 3.1 x 5.7 m
small Buddhas, are three larger illustrations of the Buddha teaching the Dharma at the center and on either side of the mural. The illustration in the center depicts a Buddha seated in full lotus position, flanked by two Bodhisattvas. The Buddha is clothed in a monastic robe and forms the vitarka (teaching) mudra. The Bodhisattvas on both sides stand in tribhanga postures wearing stoles and dhotis, with the upper torso bare. All three figures have nimbuses behind their heads.
The illustration on the left also depicts a seated Buddha with two Bodhisattvas, but it is less detailed and stylistically simpler. This Buddha wears a monastic robe, and the flanking Bodhisattvas are wrapped in white garments. The third depiction, which is of Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna Buddhas, is located in the bottom right of the mural. This illustration has faded, but details, such as the Buddhas’ aureoles and a unique triratna symbol above the niche can still be discerned.
The inscription at the bottom of the mural states that 16 monks contributed to the making of this particular mural between the years 420 and 427 during the Western Qin Kingdom period. There are four murals which depict the Thousand Buddhas within Cave 169, with this being the largest. |
