Mogao Cave 17: Forty-Two Peaceful Deities of the Bardo Mandala

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

The Forty-Two Peaceful Deities are described in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. They are also named in Dunhuang manuscripts related to the Guhyagarbha Tantra. In this mandala, they are arranged in pairs. The largest figures are the Five Dhyani Buddhas and their consorts. Aksobhya and Buddhalocani are in the center. To the right are Vairocana and Dhatvishvari. Amitabha and Pandaravasini are on the left. Ratnasambhava and Mamaki are located above Vairocana, and Amoghasiddhi and Samayatara are shown below. Beside the Dhyani Buddhas, the smaller Eight Great Bodhisattvas are shown with their consorts. The Eight Great Bodhisattvas are Maitreya, Sarvanivarana Viskambhin, Ksitigarbha, Vajrapani, Manjusri, Avalokitesvara, Samantabhadra, and Akasagarbha. The remaining figures are the Buddhas of the Six Realms and the gatekeepers.