Cave 16

- Mukapangu

On the left aisle in Cave 16 we find this painting based on a story from Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya. Only some scenes of the painting remain.

A prince is born 'dumb and numb' to the king. Physicians tell the king that the boy is only feigning his condition and advises the king to force the boy to drop his pretence. The boy is taken to a mock-execution and right as the axe is raised by the executioner, he reveals the reason for his actions. He is a Bodhisatva who has been suffering the consequences of his sinful actions as a ruler in his previous births and wishes to no longer participate in such a life. He convinces his father and becomes an ascetic.