This beautifully hand carved wooden statue depicts Buddha, the Enlightened One, in the last moments of life on earth before entering Nirvana. It is believed that an alms giver had accidentally given the Buddha pork that had gone bad, and this eventually led to the death of Buddha. As Buddha had gained enlightenment in this lifetime, he was able to escape the endless cycle of birth - death - rebirth (known as samsara) and was able to enter Nirvana. In this pose, the Buddha is depicted lying on the right hand side on top of a resting table.