Avalokiteshvara

This standing image of bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is sometimes called Padmapani, referencing a lotus stem he holds in his left hand. Avalokiteshvara is one of the great bodhisattvas and said to be the embodiment of compassion. In Tibetan Buddhist traditions rooted in tantric texts and practices originated in India, he is affiliated with the Buddha Amitabha, shown as a small buddha figure in his crown. The two flying figures flanking Avalokiteshvara’s head are called apsara. At the base of his lotus throne are two small figures of kneeling worshippers. They are likely donors who commissioned the sculpture with the mind to seek Avalokiteshvara’s blessings, create merit as well as a good life.

The sculpture represents a popular type of image often found across northern India, western Himalayas, Western Tibet, Nepal, and beyond. However, this sculpture’s stylistic elements indicate a western Himalayan cultural sphere, where artistic production integrated Kashmiri aesthetics not only in painting but also in sculptural forms, in metal, clay and stone. The silver inlaid eyes is among the persistent elements of Kashmiri aesthetics evidenced in the western Himalayan metal images. The sculpture displays evidence of repairs that would have been done possibly centuries after its creation.