Dambulla Cave 2: Life of the Buddha - Defeat of Mara and Enlightenment

SRI LANKA, Central Province, Matale

Located on the ceiling of the cave, this illustration depicts the attack by Mara and his army on Prince Siddhartha as he was attaining enlightenment. The prince is besieged by Mara’s army in the center of the painting. Mara, riding a three-trunked, six-tusked demonic elephant, and holding weapons in his hands is located on the right. He has four heads, ten arms, wide eyes, and a beard. Mara wears a tall headdress, round earrings, chest ornaments, and numerous armlets and bracelets. Two of the elephant’s trunks hold a weapon and a python. The figures making up Mara’s army are demonic in appearance, many with the heads of beasts. Most of them have sharp, exposed teeth and carry clubs, swords, or poisonous snakes.
The mural features a lively composition, bright colors, and creative details. Overall, the style and placement of the figures give the scene an air of chaos and confusion. The figures are rendered in both frontal and profile view in a style reminiscent of ancient Egyptian figure drawing. The particularly distinguishing aspects of the scene are the simplicity of the lines and the saturation of the colors.