National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

or written prayer, may perhaps also have a vague, allusive link with the miracle

of OEravästi. The faces express placid contentment, and the hair is grey or blue.

The general colour scheme is subdued and agreeable.

Bez. vii. A—C

This is from the south-east corner of the shrine. Three Bodhisattvas are seated

cross-legged, on padmásanas, and are members of a gathering of which there are indi-

cations of others above. Their costumes are similar to those of devatas already

described, but here the lower garments have broad ornamental borders. There are

slight variations in details of dress and colour, and while the central figure has his

hands together in anjali mudrá, each of the two side ones holds between his hands a

large pink flower, probably a lotus, he on the right delicately guarding the blossom

with his right hand as it rests on the levelled palm of his left. Their finger-nails

are pointed and the toes of the figure on the left are long and more like fingers.

The plump faces, of Mongolian type, have well-arched eyebrows, patrician

noses, and mincing lips adorned with little shadowy moustaches and `imperials'.

Flowing wigs of black or dark-grey hair distinguish the two outer figures, that on

the left studded with jewels. Although the ear-lobes are rather elongated, they have

no ornaments. Presumably these persons are attending a sermon being delivered

by the Buddha, who would be on the right. Presenting a general air of conscious

superiority, conceding approval mingled with a slight sense of condescension, they

are aware of their own ultimate exalted destiny.

The general condition shows less wanton damage than has been suffered by

most of the pictures. The colours have darkened and seem to have an excess of

medium, which has caused surface cracking in places. The green is nearly all

abraded to white.

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