Bāmiyān Cave K

Cave K is located between the East Giant Buddha and the West Giant Buddha. It has a rectangular floor plan with a forecourt facing south. The ceiling is vaulted. There are large niches along the north, east, and west walls. At the top of the vaulted ceiling, a seated Bodhisattva is drawn facing the entrance, and smaller Buddhas surround it in a circular composition. The smaller Buddhas represent “the Thousand Buddhas”, and it is a frequent occurrence in the Bāmiyān mural paintings. Another characteristic of Buddhist wall paintings, seen in this cave and throughout Central Asia, is that the bodies of these smaller Buddhas are surrounded by colorful concentric bands of nimbi. (Iwai/Maeda 2006, p. 24)
Compared to the condition in the 1970s, several of the surrounding thousand Buddhas have been cut away. Compared to other caves, the condition of the remaining mural paintings is quite good. In addition, eight of the fragments of the murals that have chipped off in Cave K are in the possession of the Japanese Committee for the Protection of Displaced Cultural Property. (Iwai 2006, p. 80)

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