Wat Ratburana Murals

THAILAND, Ayutthaya; Ayutthaya Kingdom

In the underground palace within the base of the main stupa at Wat Ratburana, there are upper and lower chambers covered with colorful but heavily worn murals. As the oldest surviving Thai murals, they were painted in 1424 during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and deliberately hidden from sight, suggesting that they were created as offerings to the Buddha, not for the edification of believers.
On the west and south walls of the upper chamber, there are vivid depictions of Dharma protectors and other male heavenly beings painted in red, yellow, blue, and green. In contrast, the heavenly beings on the east and north walls are outlined in black and sparsely colored.
The murals on the four walls of the lower chamber are divided into three distinct registers. In the upper register, there are depictions of Twenty-Four Buddhas of the Past. Scenes from the Life of the Buddha and images of 80 disciples occupy the middle register. In the lower register, there are illustrations of 60 Jataka tales. The figures are outlined in black against a red background. Gold is used to embellish the details.