Wat Kongkaram Ordination Hall: Mahanarada Kasyapa Jataka

THAILAND, Ratchaburi; Bangkok period

Painted in the ordination hall of Wat Kongkaram, this mural illustrates the Mahanarada Kasyapa Jataka, Pali Jataka No. 544. The story describes how both King Angati and Princess Ruja of Mithila were both kind and charitable until the king, believing the teachings of dubious brahmins, indulged in debauchery and went astray. Ruja was unable to convince her father of his error, so she appealed to the heavens for help. The Buddha, in one of his past lives as a heavenly being named Narada, heard her pleas, manifested as a spiritual practitioner, and led the king back onto the right path.
In the mural, King Angati, wearing a golden headdress and ornaments, sits within a palace on the right side of the upper register. Two brahmins kneel on the left, appearing to advise the king. The queen and young Princess Ruja are shown on the right. Below, the courtyards are filled with male and female figures. The walls and roof of the palace are covered with colorful, intricate patterns.