A sharp definition of roles, King Vessantara and his queen
Differential duty--King and queen--Vessantarā Jātaka
Wall paintings--Degaldoruva Vihara--Kandy (Sri Lanka)
Painted on the walls of the Degaldoruva temple is this scene from the Vessantara Jataka (one of the former birth stories of the Buddha). Seated next to each other, while Vessantara talks to state officials, the queen suckles her infant daughter, sharply defining her domestic role, away from matters of state.
Technical Assistant: Jayasundare, Subhashini
International Center for Ethnic Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies, Colombo
All rights reserved by International Center for Ethnic Studies, Sri Lanka.
Forms part of Photographic documentation of Women as depicted in early Sri Lankan sculpture and painting / Slide in present collection