Dublin Core
Title
"The First Stūpa" (The First Great Event)
Subject
Eight great events of the Buddha's life
Description
Depiction of the first great event in the Buddha's life, his birth. The image displays the mother of the Buddha, Queen Maya in the center, standing under a tree and lifting her right arm to grasp one of the tree branches. She is flanked by two, possibly female attendants. The baby Siddharta is depicted twice: First jumping out of his mothers right side, and second sliding down to earth under a cloud. The scene is surrounded by a stūpa.
The central scene is surrounded in the lower half by smaller narratives scenes showing other events of the Buddha's life (starting front right): 1. Depiction of Siddhārtha's father (King Śuddhodana) receiving the prophet Asita; 2. Siddhārtha leaving the City and his horse waiting for him; 3. Siddhārtha's servant Chandaka being sent off to the palace; 4. Siddhārtha cutting his hair and becoming a ascetic (left corner); 5. Siddhārtha meditating inside a cave with small figure offering milk to him (girl Sujata); and Siddhārtha sitting in meditation again.
These figural scenes are commented by a chinese inscription on a stele in front of central scene and beside the scenes. Chinese Inscription (translation by Ursula Toyka-Fuong): "I am the original Buddha Sakyamuni and have left my former existence to become a child in Jiapi (i.e. Kapilavastu). I rode on a white elephant (in my mother's dream of conception) and turned to the prayers of mankind. I took my throne on the blue lotos and pointed to Heaven and Earth. King Jinfan (i.e. Suddhodana) held the Prince in his arms. The Immortal Asi (i.e. Asitarsi) prophesied that this is definitely the King of Law, the saviour of all. Indee he explained the four (modes of) life and indicated to the beings the six ways (of existence). With leaving the town he renounced worldly fame and overcame (the cycle of ) life and death. On Snow Mountain he gave the proof. On the site, where the Bodhitree was bearing ample fruit, he was born. This is the first Stūpa." The title of the image could be translated as :" Lumbini caitya (ratna?)", The (jewel of?) Lumbini stūpa
.
The central scene is surrounded in the lower half by smaller narratives scenes showing other events of the Buddha's life (starting front right): 1. Depiction of Siddhārtha's father (King Śuddhodana) receiving the prophet Asita; 2. Siddhārtha leaving the City and his horse waiting for him; 3. Siddhārtha's servant Chandaka being sent off to the palace; 4. Siddhārtha cutting his hair and becoming a ascetic (left corner); 5. Siddhārtha meditating inside a cave with small figure offering milk to him (girl Sujata); and Siddhārtha sitting in meditation again.
These figural scenes are commented by a chinese inscription on a stele in front of central scene and beside the scenes. Chinese Inscription (translation by Ursula Toyka-Fuong): "I am the original Buddha Sakyamuni and have left my former existence to become a child in Jiapi (i.e. Kapilavastu). I rode on a white elephant (in my mother's dream of conception) and turned to the prayers of mankind. I took my throne on the blue lotos and pointed to Heaven and Earth. King Jinfan (i.e. Suddhodana) held the Prince in his arms. The Immortal Asi (i.e. Asitarsi) prophesied that this is definitely the King of Law, the saviour of all. Indee he explained the four (modes of) life and indicated to the beings the six ways (of existence). With leaving the town he renounced worldly fame and overcame (the cycle of ) life and death. On Snow Mountain he gave the proof. On the site, where the Bodhitree was bearing ample fruit, he was born. This is the first Stūpa." The title of the image could be translated as :" Lumbini caitya (ratna?)", The (jewel of?) Lumbini stūpa
.
Source
Toyka-Fuong, Ursula . "The Influence of Pala Art on 11th-century Wall-paintings of Grotto 76 in Dunhuang," in The Inner Asia International Style 12th-14th Centuries. Papers presented at a Panel of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995, edited by Deborah E. Klimburg and Eva Allinger, 67-95. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1998, 90.
Date
late 11th century
Rights
Courtesy of the Dunhuang Institute of Research, Dunhuang
Language
Sanskrit and chinese
Type
Cave Image
Coverage
Dunhuang, Mogao Grotto 76, Gansu province, China