The chapel of the eighteen elbows Buddha statue at Vat Saen Sukharam was built between 1972 to 1980 by Sathou Nyai Khamchan Virachitta Mahathera, the abbot of Vat Saen Sukharam. On the countenance of the chapel, there is a sculpture about the life of the Buddha when the Buddha opens up the bowls of the earth. After the Buddha had been up to Tavating-heaven to preach the Abhidhamma (analytical doctrine of the Buddhist canon) to his mother named Siri Mahamaya during the three months of the Buddhist retreat, he came down to the world of the human. The Buddha opened the three worlds such as the world of the heaven, the world of the human, and the world of the hell were able to see one another by virtue of his supernatural power. That is, ordinary humans saw heavenly beings and those in hell; those in heaven saw both humans and devils; and those in hell saw the inhabitants of the earth as well as those of heaven. Even animals and the blind were made to see the Buddha and all creatures longed to attain Buddhahood. Thereupon Indra made three celestial ladders reaching down to the earth. The golden one was on the right, the silver one on the left, and the jewelled one in the middle. Their lower portion rested at Sankassa, their upper portion leaned on the mountain of King Sineru where Tusita-heaven is located. The golden ladder was for the Devatas, the silver on for Brahma' s messengers, the middle one for the Buddha. When the Buddha thus stood on the topmost rung on Sineru Mountain he could see the offerings of the Devatas in the different worlds and of human beings, and performed the Yamaka Patihariya, or the miracle of the double appearances.
Original material consists of: chromogenic print.
