Pilu Temple Vairocana Hall: Water and Land Dharma Service Murals

CHINA, Hebei, Shijiazhuang; Ming dynasty

According to the Record on the Reconstruction of Pilu Temple, these murals were created by a group of artists including Wang Huai, Zhang Bao, He An, and Song Tai. They are painted on all four walls of the Vairocana Hall, covering a total surface area of around 130 sq m. The Water and Land Dharma Service is a Buddhist ceremony for universal salvation. The beings symbolically invited to attend are separated into two halls. The upper hall is for enlightened beings and protectors of the Dharma such as Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Wisdom Kings. The lower hall is for unenlightened beings from the formless realm, the form realm, and the desire realm, including the Nine Luminaries, the Twelve Zodiac Deities, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, the Earth Deity, the City Deity, Yama, and wandering spirits. When the service is preformed, the aid of the enlightened beings is invoked and the beings from the six realms are offered food and Dharma teachings to ease their suffering.
The murals contain 508 figures, generally separated according to their place in the upper or the lower hall. Most of them are identified by accompanying inscriptions. Those painted in the upper registers of the walls measure around 100 cm in height, while those in the middle and lower registers are half this size. Beginning from the right side of the north wall and moving to the left, there are illustrations of the Five Wisdom Kings, Brahma, Vaisravana, warriors, the Jade Emperor, the Eight Classes of Dharma Protectors, the Sixteen Arhats, the Twelve Zodiac Deities, the Seven Stars of the South Dipper, beings from the formless realm and the form realm, Bodhisattvas of the Ten Dedications, and the Twelve Palaces. The Bodhisattva of Benevolence is painted on the east wall along with illustrations of Heavenly Emperor Xuantian, Deities of the East, Central, and South Mountains, Sacred Mother of Heaven, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and the Ten Kings of Hell. On the left side of the south wall, there is an image of a Bodhisattva as a Guide, as well as deceased beings such as filial descendents, monastics, Daoist priests, scholars, sages, and people from all walks of life.
From the left side of the north wall and moving right, the Five Wisdom Kings, Sakra, Virudhaka, Marici, Guhyapati, the Twelve Perfect Enlightenment Bodhisattvas, the Eight Classes of Dharma Protectors, and the Sixteen Arhats are depicted. Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva and various deities are painted on the west wall. The right side of the south wall has images of the Burning-Mouth Ghost King and different types of deceased beings.
The figures are carefully organized within the murals. They are mainly colored in mineral green and vermilion with highlights of yellow, blue, and brown. Plaster embossing gives a sense of depth to some of the images. The painting style is similar to that seen in the Ming dynasty murals in Fahai Temple, Beijing.