Kizil Cave 118: Life of the Buddha - Palace Life

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This painting is located on the back wall of the main chamber and illustrates events as described in the “Chapter on Meeting an Elder” from the Abhiniskramana Sutra. According to the sutra, after Prince Siddhartha met an elder monk, he was inspired to renounce the household life. King Suddhodana consequently ordered the entertainers in the palace to play music day and night in order to distract the prince and influence him to enjoy secular life.
The mural is rectangular, framed with multiple layers of complex patterns at the top and on the sides. Prince Siddhartha stands in the center. He wears a crown and his head is encircled by a nimbus. A row of women playing musical instruments and making charming gestures are depicted to the left. A row of Bodhisattvas dressed in celestial garments are found on the upper right, and below them are four monks who wear dhotis and their hair tied in topknots. The prince holds an ornament in his right hand and offers it to the elder monk, who reaches forward to receive it. The lower section of the painting has been severely damaged.