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

recital of prayer as an avowal of reliance on the benign power of the Deity is

common to most creeds; and whether the appeal be expressed pictorially, or by

the spoken word, or by written invocation twirled in a wheel from which spiritual

sustenance shall flow like flour from the revolving mill-stone, all methods are

directed toward the same end.

Here the Buddha sits in a rectangular niche, his padmásana resting on a brick plinth.

Behind the figure is a plain square wall. Side walls support a black-tiled pent roof

covering a light, red, timber framing, and forming a canopy. The green ridge-tiles

have grotesque bird-head terminals, resembling those on the heavenly mansion in

plate xxvIIi. From the centre of the ridge rises a small spherical dome, supporting a

pyramid of buff (gold) umbrellas, crowned with a trísúla, to which are attached two

animated banners of Chinese type. A number of silk banners exactly similar to

these, but many finely painted, were found by Stein in one of the Caves of the

Thousand Buddhas at Tun-huang. They are cleverly designed to adapt themselves

to the direction of the wind, and with their stiffening rods at head and foot retain

their form, while the auxiliary streamers flutter freely.' The colours used in these

banners are dark red, green, grey, and yellow.

The robe of the Buddha is rich red, and the under-garment grey, bordered with

red and white. The bricks are buff with black pointing.

The execution is sketchy, and the drawing simplified for quick and easy repeti-

tion by hands indifferently skilled.

I See Serindia, vol. Iv, plates uooc, Loom.

I   57

{