Ajanta Cave 17: Seven Buddhas of the Past and Maitreya Bodhisattva

INDIA, Maharashtra, Aurangabad

This mural is located on the lintel of the entrance doorway. It measures 2.31 m in height and 3.58 m in width. Each of the Buddhas is seated in full lotus position and is separated from the next by a pillar. Maitreya Bodhisattva, the future Buddha, is seated on the far right. Each figure has a plain nimbus and aureole, and above them are the finely sketched leaves of their respective Bodhi trees, or the different trees beneath which each attained enlightenment. Their faces all wear the same expression of peaceful awareness. Their skin tones are varied from dark to light and their robes cover either one or both shoulders. The Buddhas hands convey the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) or dhyana (meditation) mudra. Maitreya Bodhisattva is seated beneath a tree with his right hand forming the varada (wish-granting) mudra. He wears a crown and has long hair that flows over his shoulders. The Bodhisattva is further adorned with necklaces, armlets, and bracelets, signifying his continued involvement within mundane existence. To the left of Maitreya sits Sakyamuni Buddha, shaded beneath the leaves of the Bodhi tree. His characteristic snail-shell curls obscure a flat usnisa on his head and his hands express the Dharmacakra mudra.