Mogao Cave 249: Buddha Teaching the Dharma

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Western Wei dynasty

This mural in the center of the north wall portrays the Buddha standing beneath a canopy, surrounded by a petal-shaped nimbus and a mandorla. The Buddha has a tall usnisa and a serene facial expression. He wears a long loose robe and stands barefoot with the feet apart on a circular lotus pedestal. The raised right hand forms the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra. There are two apsaras on each side of the Buddha: two in red and green garments in the upper corners, and another two who dive through the air below. Two Bodhisattvas also stand on each side. They wear three-pronged crowns and have oval nimbuses. Two inner Bodhisattvas have bare upper bodies with stoles wrapped around their arms and long lower garments. The two outer Bodhisattvas wear robes that cross the left shoulder. All four stand in graceful postures on lotus pedestals.