Enthroned crowned and bejeweled Buddha

The Buddha, wearing a crown and jewels over his monk's robe, is seated here on a high-backed throne. Two monks (the Buddha's chief disciples) attired like the Buddha pay him homage, as do two hovering celestial hermits. Beings of this type are ascetics who have gained great magical powers. They are often depicted flying or floating at the uppermost level of temple murals.

The Buddha was often represented, in Siam (and Burma) of the 1800s, as crowned and bejeweled. It is not very common, though, for his disciples also to be decked in royal garments, and the meaning of their elaborate garments here is not known.