Gathering of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

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The vibrant trees and lush surroundings evoke a sense of assembly among Buddhas, bodhisattvas (illuminated beings), and blessed individuals, possibly in one of the four cardinal Buddhist paradises. Faint impressions of color on the stone allude to the radiance of the mural, which was originally painted with gold and vivid hues. The relief-sculpture mural most likely once adorned a stupa-pillar, or large square shaft, attached to the center of the rear wall of one of the caverns at Southern Xiangtangshan, a court-sponsored Buddhist cave-temple established during the Northern Qi dynasty. Several scholars propose that the mural originated from Cave 2 at Southern Xiangtangshan.