Baisikou West Pagoda: Guru

CHINA, Ningxia, Yinchuan; Western Xia period

This hanging scroll was discovered in the Baisikou West Pagoda in 1986. Three yellow banner straps hang from the top scroll bar. The bottom scroll bar of jujube wood is 94.5 cm long and is decorated with golden cloud patterns. The central image is a guru sitting in full lotus position on a lotus throne. He has a broad forehead, large ears, narrow eyes, and a gray beard. A red monastic robe is draped over the guru’s left shoulder. The right hand is held up, forming the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra. Images of makaras, garudas, and other auspicious creatures are painted on the backrest of the throne. The nimbus and aureole are light blue, with bands of alternating colors around the outside. A deep blue outer ring surrounds the red mandorla.
At the top of the artwork, there are images of the Five Dhyani Buddhas and two patriarchs who wear red Vairocana miters. The Buddhas and patriarchs, seated in full lotus position on lotus thrones, wear red monastic robes draped over their left shoulders and each display a mudra. Seated Bodhisattvas are arranged in columns down the sides of the picture. Though most of the painting is well-preserved, the bottom is badly worn. Five female figures making offerings in the middle and Dharma protectors in the corners are faintly visible.