Manuscript Covers

SRI LANKA

These two manuscript covers measure 61 cm long, 7 cm wide, and 1.9 cm thick. They depict images from the Life of the Buddha during the first seven weeks after his enlightenment. There are seven images, each with a Roman numeral and an inscription to identify the corresponding week. The images are organized in two registers from left to right.
The upper register has three images showing the Buddha seated in meditation, contemplating while standing to the northeast of the Bodhi tree, and standing on the golden pathway laid out for him by heavenly beings.
In the lower register, there are images of the Buddha meditating in a jeweled chamber built by the deities, meditating under a banyan tree, the naga king Mucalinda sheltering the meditating Buddha, and the Buddha’s final week of meditation under another tree. The stupas to the right of the Buddha images represent the 16 principal Sri Lankan pilgrimage centers.