An antique, 19th Century or earlier tsakli painting in mineral pigments depicting the Nagas of the 5 directions - white, red, blue, yellow and green, coiled in the shape of a treasure-vase.
Nagas or snakes dwell in the underworlds below land and sea, and especially in the watery realms of rivers, lakes, wells and oceans. In the Buddhist cosmology they are assigned to the lowest levesl of Mount Meru. They are the underworld guardians of treasures and concealed teachings. The Prajnaparamita Sutra especially (on the Perfection of Wisdom) was taken from the undersea palace of the Naga King, where it was originally entrusted to the guardianship of the Nagas by the Sakyamuni Buddha. 1 syllable in Tibetan text to the reverse. 10.7 x 12.1cm