Maijishan Grotto 127: Syama Jataka

CHINA, Gansu, Tianshui; Western Wei dynasty

This mural on the front ceiling slope depicts six sequential scenes horizontally. The scenes from right to left are as follows. First, with banners flowing in the front and rear of his carriage, the king of Kapilavastu leads a hunting party into the forest, as the dogs and eagles await their prize. Secondly, animals of the forest scramble from the violent threat of hunters on horseback, who shoot arrows as they gallop over the hills. Thirdly, Syama, the son of blind parents who live as hermits, is struck by a poisoned arrow and lays on his back next to a vessel used to draw water from a spring. Fourthly, the king and attendants arrive at the hut of the blind parents, who mourn when told of their son’s death. Excluded from the mural is the conclusion, where the king takes the blind parents to Syama, and Sakra who, touched by Syama’s filial piety, revives Syama and restore his parents’ vision.