Maijishan Grotto 142: Auspicious Buddha on Gosrnga Mountain

CHINA, Gansu, Tianshui; Northern Wei dynasty

This relief sculpture on the upper right corner of Grotto 142’s back walk depicts the auspicious Buddha at Gosrnga (Ox Head Mountain), as described in the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions. The monastery at Gosrnga, which is near Bamiyan, was constructed in a valley between two mountains. According to a regional legend, the Buddha predicted that a country would be founded here and that people would come to practice Mahayana teachings. The legend also states that an Arhat, while waiting for the arrival of the next Buddha, Maitreya, would meditate in the valley for hundreds of years.
In the sculpture, the Buddha teaches at the foot of the valley, surrounded by various disciples. On the upper right section two disciples with joined palms kneel halfway on the valley ridge. Above the valley, a figure meditates, possibly the Arhat mentioned in the legend. This sculpture is similar to the ones found in Mogao Caves 142 and 231 at Dunhuang.