Kizil Cave 14: Jataka of the Rabbit King’s Self-Sacrifice

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This mural occupies the left side of the barrel-vaulted ceiling. The painting is based on a story that is derived from the Extraordinary Stories from Sutras and Vinayas. In the story, a hermit who lived in the mountains befriended a Rabbit King. One harsh winter, the hermit realized that he did not have enough food and water to survive it. He told the Rabbit King of his intention to leave the mountains to find food in the villages. The Rabbit King offered its own flesh as food to the hermit and jumped into the fire. After its death, the Rabbit King was reborn in Tusita Heaven. The hermit was very sad and felt responsible for the Rabbit King’s death. He refused to eat and eventually his consciousness traveled to Tusita Heaven.
In the painting, a hermit with blue hair and a beard sits on a circular platform with his legs crossed. He wears a short dhoti and his upper body is exposed except for a cloth draped around his arm. His upper body inclines forward and he extends both hands forward, in an attempt to rescue the Rabbit King. The Rabbit King, with raised ears, lies curled up in the fire pit before the hermit.