Mogao Cave 272: Bodhisattvas Listening to the Dharma

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Northern Liang Kingdom

These are some of the oldest surviving images in the Mogao Caves. They are painted to either side of the niche in the back (west) wall of Cave 272. On each side, there are 20 Bodhisattvas arranged in four rows of five. All the Bodhisattvas are seated on lotus flowers within a pond. Some of the Bodhisattvas listen to the Dharma, while others make offerings or dance joyfully. The eyes of the Bodhisattvas are all fixed in the direction of the Buddha statue within the niche. Their upper bodies are bare, although some have stoles draped across their torsos. Each figure has a slightly different expression; collectively they produce a unified scene of elation. The background is painted in ocher, with blue, green, white, and pink powdered pigments applied to the foreground. The figures have varied light and dark complexions. White dots are used to form the eyes and noses. The wash technique used to give a three-dimensional appearance to the bodies of the figures was a style unique to Central Asia at the time this mural was painted.