Kizil Cave 175: Life of the Buddha - Birth of Prince Siddhartha

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This painting is located on the semicircular upper section of the right wall in the rear corridor. It illustrates how Prince Siddhartha was born from his mother’s right side and immediately walked seven steps, whereupon lotuses sprung up from beneath his feet. Standing under an asoka tree, Queen Maya is depicted on the right side of the painting. Her right hand grasps a tree branch as an oval-shaped figure representing Prince Siddhartha descends from her upper right side. Below the Queen, an attendant holds a silk cloth to catch the baby prince. The newly born Siddhartha is seen on the left side of the painting. He is nude and, with his right hand, points upward while lotus flowers bloom in his footsteps. The figures in this mural are painted using the wash technique to emphasize the three-dimensional effect.