Temple Banner with pilgrimage sites and scenes from the "Svayambhu-purana" (Ancient Text of the Primordial Buddha)

Discussion

FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

In the upper band, pilgrimage places in and around Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu are mapped and labeled with inscriptions in the Newari language. Below are scenes from the story of a king who ended a drought with the assistance of serpent deities and a Buddhist master. The king rides horseback at the lower left, and the serpent deities are the seated human figures with snake heads behind them. The white vase-shaped monument with pointed top, shown three times, is the Svayambhu Stupa, a sacred monument in Kathmandu dedicated to the Buddha Svayambhu. Probably half of a complete banner, this piece hung in a monastic courtyard during annual festivals.

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