Shakyamuni Buddha with Maudgalyayana and Sariputta

This Tibetan thangka painting depicts a large, central Buddha figure with a blue ushnisha and golden skin, seated in the bhumisparsha mudra (earth-touching gesture) while holding an alms bowl. To his immediate left and right stand his primary disciples, Maudgalyayana and Sariputta, wearing monastic robes and holding ritual implements. The background is a dense field of smaller, meditating Buddhas of varying skin tones—red, gold, and blue—each enclosed within individual circular mandalas set against a landscape of stylized clouds and verdant hills. The bottom register features ritual offerings arranged on a tiered altar, rendered in vibrant mineral pigments and gold leaf.

This composition reflects the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of 'Thousand Buddhas' iconography, emphasizing the lineage and transmission of the Dharma. It connects to the Pali Canon and later Mahayana sutras that establish the historical importance of Sariputta and Maudgalyayana as the principal conduits of Shakyamuni’s teachings.