炳靈寺第169窟西秦圖像反映的犍陀羅文化因素東傳情況=The Eastward Dissemination of Gandharan Culture Reflected in Images of the Western Qin Kingdom in Cave 169 at the Binglingsi Grottoes
The relics of the Western Qin Kingdom in Cave 169 at the Binglingsi Grottoes are very important components of early Chinese Buddhist material culture. This paper discusses the origins and modeling of some unidentified characters from the murals found in the cave and comes to the following conclusions: painting No.12, of Buddha preaching, on the north wall is in fact a depiction of Brahma’s Request; and the two clay attendant statues in cave 3 on the north wall are Bodhisattva and Vajradhara. On this basis, the author further demonstrates that the works’ iconographic origins come from Gandhara and the Western Regions, identifies the subsequent effects of these cultures in an area dominated by Han-Chinese culture, and then analyzes the connections between the images on the north wall, with a special eye for depictions of flower offerings, flower tendrils,and decorative flower-trees, and the art and culture of Gandhara and the Western Regions. These Western Qin relics in Cave 169 at the Binglingsi Grottoes accurately and authentically reflect the eastward spread and development of Gandharan cultural elements.
