Bingling Temple Cave 169: Thousand Buddhas

CHINA, Gansu, Linxia; Western Qin Kingdom

This mural, labeled as Niche 24, is located at the top corner of the east wall, on the right side of the cave entrance. It was painted on a layer of clay applied to the rocky surface of the wall. The mural takes up 18 sq m and depicts the Thousand Buddhas motif, as well as three sets of illustrations of the Buddha teaching the Dharma.
The majority of the mural comprises nearly 1,000 small Buddhas painted in 20 neat rows. The Buddhas all sit in full lotus position and form the dhyana (meditation) mudra with their hands. The main colors employed in the painting are red, black, white, gray, and ocher.
Among the small Buddhas, are three larger illustrations of the Buddha teaching the Dharma at the center and on either side of the mural. The illustration in the center depicts a Buddha seated in full lotus position, flanked by two Bodhisattvas. The Buddha is clothed in a monastic robe and forms the vitarka (teaching) mudra. The Bodhisattvas on both sides stand in tribhanga postures wearing stoles and dhotis, with the upper torso bare. All three figures have nimbuses behind their heads.
The illustration on the left also depicts a seated Buddha with two Bodhisattvas, but it is less detailed and stylistically simpler. This Buddha wears a monastic robe, and the flanking Bodhisattvas are wrapped in white garments. The third depiction, which is of Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna Buddhas, is located in the bottom right of the mural. This illustration has faded, but details, such as the Buddhas’ aureoles and a unique triratna symbol above the niche can still be discerned.
The inscription at the bottom of the mural states that 16 monks contributed to the making of this particular mural between the years 420 and 427 during the Western Qin Kingdom period. There are four murals which depict the Thousand Buddhas within Cave 169, with this being the largest.