Kumtura Cave 14: Sutra Illustrations

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

These large Chinese style sutra illustrations are located on the front and back walls of Cave 14. The mural above the doorway of the front wall is an illustration of the Sutra on the Descent of Maitreya, and on the back wall is a depiction of Amitabha’s Western Pure Land. The latter was created during the Anxi Protectorate period (7th–8th century) of the Tang dynasty, and as such, it may be the earliest sutra illustration at Kumtura Caves.
The depiction of the Western Pure Land is based on the Infinite Life Sutra, wherein Amitabha Buddha sits in the center, flanked by Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas. Surrounding the Buddha are wish-fulfilling jewels, ornaments, and jewel-laden nets, all of which are said to produce musical pentatonic scales and cause innumerable flowers to descend like rain whenever the breeze wafts through them. Throughout the sky, apsaras fly amidst the clouds and make offerings, while numerous Buddhas descend from above. A multitude of heavenly beings and the Eight Classes of Dharma Protectors, including asuras, yaksas, and nagas, circumambulate the Buddha at the bottom.