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Wat Yai Inthraram Ordination Hall: Muga Pakkha Jataka
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Wat Yai Inthraram Ordination Hall: Muga Pakkha Jataka
THAILAND, Chonburi; Bangkok period (1782–present), circa 1801–1850
This mural in the ordination hall of Wat Yai Inthraram depicts a scene from the Muga Pakkha Jataka, Pali Jataka No. 538. In one of his past lives, the Buddha was born as Prince Temiya in the kingdom of Benares. Knowing from childhood that the negative karma resulting from a king's actions would incur a rebirth in hell, he pretended to be deaf and mute in order to avoid succeeding the throne. His father eventually gave up hope for his son and ordered that he be taken out to the forest and killed. When the executioner brought him outside the city, the prince suddenly lifted the chariot aloft, revealing his true power.
The smiling prince, wearing a headdress and ornaments, stands on his right leg and raises his left as he lifts the chariot with a single hand. The golden rod bends in a semicircle, the black horse rears in surprise, and the startled executioner cowers below, holding his hands up in fear. The figures are arranged in a rough circle, with the poised prince as the focal point in the center. The interesting layout and soft, bright colors are inherited from the painting style of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (circa 1350-1767). |
