Bhutan: A Jataka thangka recounting Buddha birth cycles, Phajoding Gompa, Thimphu, 18th-19th century. The Jatakas ('Birth Story') are a large body of literature from India which describe the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Some of these stories are considered great works of literature in their own right, and are based on the idea that the Buddha was about to recollect his past lives and use these recollections to tell a moral story and illustrate his teachings.

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Size: 3500px × 5090px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 18th, 19th, art, arts, asia, asian, bhutan, bhutanese, birth, buddha, buddhism, buddhist, century, gautama, gompa, historical, history, image, images, jataka, jatakas, jewel, lotus, mahayana, painting, paintings, phajoding, pictures, rebirth, reincarnation, religion, religious, south, story, tangka, tanka, thangka, thanka, thimphu, tibetan, vajrayana