Mogao Cave 159: Wutaishan

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

This mural is located on the right side of the back (west) wall in the main chamber. It is composed of two panels, both of which display similar images of a towering mountain surrounded by smaller peaks. In the upper register of the paintings are mountains receding into the mist, and in the lower register are foothills interwoven with valleys, streams, and cliffs. Within the valleys are pagodas, pavilions, and small figures. The left panel displays a building with a large courtyard near the top of the mountain, while the panel on the right shows Manjusri Bodhisattva riding a lion above the mountain.
During the rule of Emperor Gaozong (reigned 649–683), the monk Huiyi was dispatched to search for Buddhist teachings at Wutaishan (Five Plateau Mountain). Huiyi returned to paint images of the mountain and write a brief account of what he found. In 824, the Tibetan Empire sent an envoy to Chang’an (present day Xi’an) to request a painting of Wutaishan, and in 840, the monk Yiyuan invited a professional artist to paint the sacred mountain and gave the resulting work to the Japanese monk Ennin. These events facilitated the initial spread of Wutaishan images to both Tibet and Japan. Images of Wutaishan from the Mid-Tang period (756–846) are preserved in Mogao Caves 159, 222, 237, and 361, while another from the Late Tang period (846–907) is found in Cave 9. The evolution of Wutaishan imagery at Dunhuang can be seen in a mural from the Five Dynasties (907–960) in Mogao Cave 61. In addition, many of the manuscripts found at Dunhuang contain mention of the mountain, reflecting its status as a sacred site.