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Manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
Manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai

Manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai

Place of OriginThailand
Date1844
MaterialsPaint, gold and ink on paper
DimensionsH. 6 in x W. 27 1/4 in x D. 3 1/2 in, H. 15.2 cm x W. 69.2 cm x D. 8.9 cm
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1993.10
DepartmentSoutheast Asian Art
ClassificationsBooks And Manuscripts
On View
Not on view
More Information

Phra Malai, the most famous mythic monk in Thailand, is usually identified in artworks by his monk's belongings: a monastic fan and an alms bowl, which may be held in a sling over his shoulder.

As an adept in magical powers (iddhi), Phra Malai is also able to fly, a most useful skill while surveying— and not becoming enmeshed within—the hell-scapes that seem so to fascinate him. Here, he flies above three distorted souls whose karmic inheritance has landed them in an underground realm.

All is not lost for these souls. The Phra Malai story reveals a religious loophole in the otherwise inexorable law of karma: the spiritual rewards of pious donations. The story tells how the living can donate to Buddhist monasteries on behalf of the deceased to ameliorate their karma-induced suffering. By making such donations, living relatives can help even deceased persons who were ethically challenged.

Subject
  • hell
  • Phrai Malai
Manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
Manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
approx. 1825-1875
Manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
Manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
1791
(.a) A poor man hoes the ground; (.b) the monk Phra Malai carrying a fan and, under his outer robes, an alms bowl, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
(.a) A poor man hoes the ground; (.b) the monk Phra Malai carrying a fan and, under his outer robes, an alms bowl, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
approx. 1790-1825
The holy monk Phra Malai descends from Indra's Heaven, scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
The holy monk Phra Malai descends from Indra's Heaven, scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
1916 or earlier
The holy monk Phra Malai visits hell, scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
The holy monk Phra Malai visits hell, scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
1916 or earlier
The holy monk Phra Malai at the stupa of the hair relic in Indra's Heaven, scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
The holy monk Phra Malai at the stupa of the hair relic in Indra's Heaven, scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
1916 or earlier
The deity Indra meets Phra Malai, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
The deity Indra meets Phra Malai, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
approx. 1790-1825
A poor man collects lotus flowers for Phra Malai to take as an offering to the hair-relic monument in Indra's heaven, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
A poor man collects lotus flowers for Phra Malai to take as an offering to the hair-relic monument in Indra's heaven, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
approx. 1790-1825
Monks touch their throats, perhaps hoarse from chanting, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
Monks touch their throats, perhaps hoarse from chanting, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
approx. 1790-1825
The bodhisattva Maitreya and his celestial attendants, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
The bodhisattva Maitreya and his celestial attendants, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
approx. 1790-1825
(.a) A man and woman bring offerings; (.b)A man carries a youngster, perhaps to present him to a monastery to eventually become a novice; a woman, perhaps the little boy's mother, grieves, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
(.a) A man and woman bring offerings; (.b)A man carries a youngster, perhaps to present him to a monastery to eventually become a novice; a woman, perhaps the little boy's mother, grieves, from a manuscript of scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
approx. 1790-1825
Flying celestials, from a manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
Flying celestials, from a manuscript with scenes from the story of the holy monk Phra Malai
approx. 1875-1925