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Dunkar Cave 1: Female Deities
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Dunkar Cave 1: Female Deities
CHINA, Tibet, Ngari; Guge Kingdom (circa 10th-17th centery), circa 11th century
Located on the south wall of Cave 1, this mural dates from the early Guge Kingdom (circa 10th–17th century). Predominantly colored in blue, the mural depicts a parade of female deities with large eyes and arched eyebrows. Each of them rides a different animal. The first, garbed in a flower-patterned robe, rides a deer and holds the bridle of a blue horse ridden by the second deity, a blue figure. This deity may be Yum-Chemo of western Tibet. The third, an elderly woman wearing a black hooded cloak, rides a yak. Behind her are six more female figures that ride upon deer. Their left hands hold on to the deer’s necks, and their right hands carry flags or weapons such as hooks and halberds. |
