Kizil Cave 80: Life of the Buddha - Cinca Manavika’s False Accusation

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This painting is located on the right side of the barrel-vaulted ceiling in the main chamber. According to the Extraordinary Stories from Sutras and Vinayas, when the Buddha was once teaching the Dharma at Sravasti when a non-Buddhist woman named Cinca Manavika accused him of causing her pregnancy. At that time, Sakra disguised himself as a white mouse and bit the string that secured a bulging wooden form around Cinca Manavika’s abdomen. When the string broke, the false abdomen fell to the floor, and Cinca Manavika’s conspiracy failed. Due to this unwholesome act, Cinca Manavika was reborn in the hell realm.
In this painting, the Buddha is shown seated in full lotus position on a rectangular throne. He is dressed in a monastic robe that leaves the right shoulder bare, and a nimbus and an aureole are depicted behind. The head is tilted slightly to one side, and above the Buddha is a canopy. Cinca Manavika is portrayed to the right, with her right hand placed on her bulging abdomen. She raises her left hand in a gesture of speech. In front of her is the wooden form that fell away as the white mouse runs from the scene.