The Indonesian rijsttafel, a Dutch word that literally translates to “rice table”, is an elaborate meal adapted by the Dutch following the hidang presentation of Nasi Padang from the Padang region of West Sumatra. It consists of many (forty is not an unusual number) side dishes served in small portions, accompanied by rice prepared in several different ways.
The Dutch in Indonesia were at that time the upper classes so this extravagant type of banquet was not unusual. When I grew up, a rijsttafel was still something special for us; we would only have it on very special occasions (because it takes several days to prepare).
I can imagine that it could be something like this; a banquet of all the best dishes a country or region has to offer, accompanied by rice.
Nowadays, a Thāli in India means the daily meal that you can get in all restaurants.