Kizil Cave 27: Maitreya Bodhisattva Teaching the Dharma - Bodhisattvas

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This painting is located on the right side of the semicircular wall above the front wall entrance of the main chamber. Originally, this was part of an illustration of Maitreya Bodhisattva Teaching the Dharma in Tusita Heaven; however, the center of the mural is badly damaged and all that is left are the eight Bodhisattvas.
This image can be divided into an upper and a lower register, with four Bodhisattvas in each. All the Bodhisattvas wear headdresses with single large jewels, and ornaments on their bodies. Their heads are encircled with nimbuses, and urnas are drawn between their eyebrows. They sit in cross-ankled position on rectangular seats, and alternate between light and dark complexions. Some of them listen to the Dharma while others lower their heads in contemplation. A few lift their arms joyfully, adding a sense of cadence to the painting. The three-dimensional architectural images depicted above them is indicative of heavenly palaces.