Mogao Cave 275: Jataka of Sacrifice for a Gatha by Enduring the Burning of Flesh

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Northern Liang Kingdom

This mural on the middle section of the north wall illustrates a story from the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish. The scene is similar to the mural beside it on the left, a depiction of the Jataka of Sacrifice for a Gatha by Enduring a Thousand Nails. The king has a nimbus and wears a jewel-studded crown with silk ribbons trailing from either side. He is seated with legs crossed on a round platform. Damage obscures the king’s head and chest. A man on the left holds burning resin against the king’s chest, searing his flesh. The man wears a short red dhoti and is bare-chested. Another figure kneels before the king and holds his head in his hands as if in distress. This is thought to be a depiction of a relative of the king, horror-stricken to see him afflicted with such pain. Two apsaras fly above the king with outstretched arms, watching the scene from above. The one on the right wears a crown with silk ribbons.