Taitai’er Cave 17: Ceiling

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

These images adorn the sides of the barrel-vaulted ceiling in the rear corridor. The main chamber of this central pillar cave has collapsed and only the rear corridor remains. The barrel-vaulted ceiling is covered with murals of monastics and brahmins meditating in the mountains. There are no fixed patterns within the paintings; the ridges and peaks of the mountains are irregular and highly stylized. A single monastic or brahmin is painted within small thatched huts. Roaring tigers, bears, and other wild beasts surround them, demonstrating that the meditation state of the monastics is not disturbed by outside activities. Imps with sharp ears and wings are also depicted within the paintings. These images are unique among Kuchean caves.