Kizil Cave 212: Sronakotikarna Avadana

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This mural was originally located at the bottom of the right wall within the main chamber. It depicts the Sronakotikarna Avadana as found in the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya-Vastu. The story unfolds from left to right.
In the first scene, Sronakotikarna refuses to listen to his parents and is lured by the thought of great riches to seek treasure at sea. This disobedience results in karmic retribution. While the first third of the mural has broken off, the center section displays a ship with a naga figure head that is filled with treasures.
In the second scene, Sronakotikarna discusses how to transport the treasures with other merchants. Two donkeys crouch on the ground and four people converse on the right, one riding a donkey.
In the third scene, Sronakotikarna’s treasures are stolen by the other merchants while he is sleeping. On that same night, ghosts visit his camp. In the morning, Sronakotikarna has his donkey follow the scent of the merchants, but he mistakenly follows that of the ghosts instead, and arrives at their castle.
In the fourth scene, Sronakotikarna must sleep beneath a palasa tree at night and is attacked by a dog during the day. These last two scenes are damaged. In the fifth, Sronakotikarna bathes in a pond while his donkey drinks from it. Inside a building to the right, two people are seated on a bed while skeletal ghosts reach up from the ground. In the sixth and final scene, a woman is thrown into a pot, whereupon she climbs out without flesh and proceeds to eat meat. This and the Milinda Jataka depiction are very different in style to the diamond-shaped illustrations that were popular during the same period, the former showing greater realism and a progressive layout as opposed to the simple, single scene images.