Dandan Oilik Monastery: Mahadevi

CHINA, Xinjiang, Hotan

This image of Mahadevi standing beside the partially visible Vaisravana, Heavenly King of the North, is painted on a deteriorating wall in the ruins of Dandan Oilik Monastery. It is based on a legend described in the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions and the Prophecy of Gosrnga. A king, growing old and without an heir, prayed to Vaisravana for help. In answer to the king’s prayer, a baby came forth from the forehead of an image of Vaisravana. The king returned to the palace with the infant. However, no milk to feed the child could be found, so the king again prayed for divine aid. Both Vaisravana and Mahadevi intervened, and a breast producing milk arose from the earth. In honor of the miracles, the king claimed to be a descendant of Vaisravana and named his kingdom “Kustana,” in which “ku” means “earth” and “stana” means “breast.”
Mahadevi is portrayed as a beautiful woman with her hair tied in a chignon. Her left hand is placed against her stomach, while her right hand covers her breasts. She rises from the earth and turns to look at a child who grasps her right leg. There is a faint Buddha image to the right of Mahadevi. The artist uses delicate curved lines to portray the elegant figure of a heavenly being.