Piyang Cave 79

CHINA, Tibet, Ngari

This cave is located in Area 1 and was developed from the 11th to 12th century. It has a single rectangular chamber measuring 3.52 m wide and 4.2 m deep. A sloped corridor is located in front of the chamber with a flat ceiling that is lower than the ceiling of the chamber. Murals of Dharma protectors painted on both sides of the doorway are arranged in two rows, each measuring 32 cm high. Murals originally decorate the side walls of the corridor, but only remnants of a Dharma protector on the right wall remains. Inside the chamber, a niche is carved into each of the three walls. The niche on the back (south) wall once housed a Buddha statue and was surrounded by murals of elephants, makaras, and unicorns. The niches on the two side walls mirror one another, with depictions of lion heads, Buddhas, female deities, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma protectors.