Tabo Monastery Central Hall: Paying Respect to the Buddha’s Relics

INDIA, Himachal Pradesh

Situated on the lower left section of the east wall, this mural depicts disciples, Bodhisattvas, and heavenly beings paying respect to the Buddha’s relics. On the upper right, a golden reliquary is sheltered under draperies and a canopy. It is surrounded by a semicircular group of figures joining their palms in reverence. The Bodhisattvas wear crowns and have nimbuses. Three horse-headed figures stand on the far left. The wide-collared, patched monastic robes worn by the disciples who sit below the reliquary are seen in many of the murals in the monastery.