Yulin Cave 25: Manjusri Bodhisattva and Attendants

CHINA, Gansu, Guazhou; Tang dynasty

This mural is located on the front (west) wall of the main chamber, to the right of the entrance. It depicts Manjusri Bodhisattva seated upon a fierce lion, holding a ruyi (wish-fulfilling talisman) in one hand and forming a mudra with the other. Attendant Bodhisattvas surround Manjusri, holding parasols and forming mudras. Ornaments dangling from the canopy above Manjusri’s head sway in the wind. Blooming lotus flowers are depicted beneath the lion’s paws. The lion keeper holds a rope tied around the lion’s neck. This mural is a particularly good example of the vivid and skillful artistic styles employed during the High Tang period (712–756).
This mural is similar to the illustration of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva located on the left of the entrance, with the exception that while the keeper here appears to be trying to hold the lion back, the elephant upon which Samantabhadra rides is being driven forward. This difference contributes to an asymmetrical effect between the two murals.