Paper short abstract:

This paper explores variability in the portrayals of the sea goddess Manimekhala in Thai visual and literary narratives of the Mahajanaka Jataka.

Paper long abstract:

Portrayals of the sea goddess Manimekhala are widespread in Thai temple murals. The thosachat, or last ten jatakas, is a popular subject for mural paintings, and the scene from the Mahajanaka Jataka in which Manimekhala rescues the bodhisattva from shipwreck is one of the most dramatic and easily recognized encounters from the story. The standard pattern of these visual representations shows the goddess actively catching or carrying the passive-looking bodhisattva, an image difficult to reconcile with the understanding that Mahajanaka exemplifies the virtue of viriya, or manly effort. This paper will examine the way the visual narratives from the mural paintings tell a somewhat different version of the story than the literary texts, one that gives greater prominence to the scene of rescue but raises new questions about the reliability and role of the goddess. It will explore the broader associations around Manimekhala supplied by popular mythology and demonstrate the underlying instability of her gender construction: does she correspond more closely to mistress, mother, or nun? Like the inconstant waters over which she presides, we will see how Manimekhala's role fluctuates between different expressions of the feminine.