Wat Kampong Tralach Leu Main Hall: Life of the Buddha - Return from Trayastrimsa Heaven

CAMBODIA, Kampong Chhnang

This mural, on the west wall of the main hall of Wat Kampong Tralach Leu, depicting the Buddha’s descent from Trayastrimsa Heaven is one of the only illustrations of Buddhist cosmology in Cambodia. Within a heavenly palace, on the left side of the upper register, the Buddha teaches the Dharma to heavenly beings and his mother, Queen Maya. On the right, a pagoda enshrines a lock of the Buddha’s hair taken after his renunciation and brought to Trayastrimsa Heaven by Sakra. Mount Sumeru, seven smaller mountains, and two large fish are depicted on the sides of the middle register. A triple stairway of gold, silver, and crystal runs down the center. The Buddha descends back to the human world, flanked by depictions of the sun, the moon, and the Four Heavenly Kings painted against a dark blue background. In the lower register, the Buddha sits in lotus position on a diamond throne, teaching the Dharma to monks and devotees. All of the figures are similarly sized, a distinct feature of the art of the famous Cambodian painter Tep Nimit Mak.