Dimensions: Height 10,5 cm Wide 38,5 cm Depth 1 cm each

Weight: 6389 grams with base both

Carved from reddish stone, each elongated rectangular cover is worked in low relief with scrolling vegetal arabesques enclosing narrative scenes from the Buddha’s path to enlightenment.

Cover A — The Great Renunciation (hair-cutting):
Prince Siddhārtha is shown seated, raising a blade to cut his hair, the decisive act of renouncing princely life. Attendants, animals and auspicious emblems flank the scene amid luxuriant scrolls.

Cover B — The Birth at Lumbinī:
At the centre, Queen Māyā grasps the branch of a śāla tree in the classic childbirth pose. Beside her an attendant—very likely Indra receiving the newborn Siddhārtha—extends his hands toward the infant, with rocky ground and paired birds completing the tableau.

The reverses are plain save for a neatly incised double-vajra (viśvavajra), signifying stability and consecration.

Rarity & significance:
Stone pecha covers are exceptional—the vast majority in Tibet are wood. Even rarer is the choice of biographical scenes: the hair-cutting episode is infrequently depicted on manuscript covers, and the Lumbinī birth scene (Māyā with the tree and Indra receiving the child) further underlines the set’s didactic, devotional intent. Together they frame the scripture (very likely a Prajñāpāramitā text) with milestones on the Buddha’s road to awakening.

Condition: Wear consistent with age; softening of relief from handling; minor nicks and edge losses; attractive, even patina.