Scene from the life of the Buddha, perhaps the ordination of the Shakya youths
This painting may depict the ordination of the young Shakya nobles shown in 2006.27.83.3 When the Buddha was returning to his father's city, the Shakya clan prepared for his use a monastic retreat outside the city. Perhaps that retreat is shown here, as a monastery building set in a walled compound within a forest.
The variety of goings-on bring to mind life in a Thai monastery today: Some monks sit attentively, as do a number of layfolk. Other layfolk chat and point. One monk prepares betel (a mixture of areca nut, betel leaf, and other ingredients for chewing) using a sort of ramrod, while another watches naked children play.
On the left side of the painting are several scenes of which the meaning is not clear. The deity Indra, recognizable by his green skin, flies in to observe the main scene and pay homage to the Buddha. Below him a child seems to be pulling the tail of a snake that has wound itself around a tree.
