Kizil Cave 114: King Sudolagarne Jataka

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This mural is on the left side of the barrel-vaulted ceiling in the main chamber. The Jataka is derived from the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish. According to the story, King Sudolagarne was told by a soothsayer that there would be 15 years of drought in his kingdom, but there was only wheat enough for three years. Consequently, he vowed to be reborn as a giant fish, big enough to feed the kingdom for the remaining 12 years, and leapt from a tree to his death. He was instantly reborn as the immense fish, and encountered five woodcutters. The fish offered his flesh to the woodcutters, vowing to nourish them with the Dharma when he attained Buddhahood in a future life. Divided into the two halves by the woodcutters, the fish fed the kingdom for six years on one half of his body, and six additional years on the other half. All the people in the kingdom, having learned great compassion, were reborn as heavenly beings.
The mural illustrates the scene in which the woodcutters cut flesh from the fish, which appears in a circular pond. The man on the right slices a piece of flesh while the person on the left holds his axe high, preparing to hack off part of the fish.