Manuscript with scenes from the story of Phra Malai

The story of the compassionate monk Phra Malai centers on his ability to travel both to heaven and to hell, where he bestows mercy on those suffering there. In one scene in this manuscript Phra Malai is visiting Indra’s Heaven, where he has taken an offering of eight lotus flowers given to him by a poor man who hopes for a better rebirth. Phra Malai sits on a raised platform in front of the Chulamani Stupa, which contains relics of the Buddha, and engages in conversation with the green-skinned Indra, king of the gods. The eight lotus blossoms are shown in vases in front of the stupa.Indra tells Phra Malai that the coming of Maitreya, the bodhisattva who will descend to earth to become the next –and last–Buddha, is imminent. Maitreya is shown in the illustration on the right, floating on a lotus petal in the sky above two celestial attendants.