(lokapala). The figures’ hands are joined in reverence, and the whole can be taken to represent the homage and submission of the gods to the Buddha. Another possible interpretation is that the white-robed figures of Or. 14297 represent the Burmese monarch, who traditionally donned the royal Sakka robes for the propitiation ceremony of Sakka and Brahma and on other religious and ceremonial occasions. The association of the Burmese monarch with Sakka, king of the gods, and with the Buddha is of long standing. Burmese palace architecture and decor proclaimed and emphasized this, as did all royal ceremonies and the annual cycle of religious festivals and ceremonies. Throughout the manuscripts, the kings and the great gods are depicted in identical three-tiered costumes, and it is easy to see that the Burmese king or high royal official under whose patronage the manuscripts were painted was associating himself with the merit of the kings and gods who ministered to and revered the great lord Buddha.
Painted back cover of Or. 14298
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