In South Asia, Buddhist texts were written on long, flat palm leaves that were bound together with string and placed between wooden covers. The five Buddhas depicted on this cover represent the celestial Buddhas that served as the heads of the five families in later Buddhist traditions. Each is painted in a different color and displays a different hand gesture, and each is associated with one of a group of meditative female figures that is painted on the back cover. Known as dakinis, these figures have three heads and multiple arms, and they are identified by the bows and arrows they hold.