Spiral Spiral

Golden statue of crowned deity with blue hair handled delicately by people with saffron-colored textiles
Pakpa Lokeshvara
Nepal 7th century
Painting on rectangular panel of two bodhisattvas and two worshippers seated against blue background with floral motif
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object EssaysBuddhist Painting in Greater Kashmir: An Early Inspiration for Tibet?
Painted Manuscript Cover
Gilgit Kingdom, Greater Kashmir (present-day Baltistan, Pakistan); ca. late 8th or early 9th century
Dark-brown statue of bodhisattva seated on lotus pedestal before mandorla decorated with various deities
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object Essays

Intertwined Religious Cultures: Buddhism and Hinduism

Bodhisattva Bhaishajyaraja, “The Healing King”
Swat Kingdom (present-day Swat District, Pakistan); 8th–9th century
Bronze statuette of meditating Buddha seated on cushioned throne, around which many small figures kneel in reverence
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object EssaysThe Distinct Artistic Tradition of Kashmir and Its Impact in Tibet
Buddha on the Cosmic Mountain
Kashmir; ca. 720
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object EssaysThe Most Famous Religious Object in Tibet
Jowo Shakyamuni of the Rasa Trulnang Tsuklakhang (Jokhang Temple)
Northern India or Lhasa, Tibet; 500 BCE? or 11th century CE
Man sits before statue adorned with garlands and textiles; statue has red, abstract face
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object EssaysSeasonal Travels of the Valley God
Bunga Dya (Bunga Lokeshvara, Karunamaya, Rato Macchendranath)
Nepal; from the 7th century on
Globe-shaped silver vessel featuring long neck and animal head spout; decorated with golden figures and patterns
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object Essays

Ceremonial Banquet Vessels in Silver and Gold

Silver Jug
Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet; 9th–10th century, based on earlier Sogdian or Uyghur prototypes
Buddha, two bodhisattvas, and attendants hover above terraced landscape and crowds of people; painted in oranges, reds, and yellows
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object Essays

Tibetan Visual Models on the Silk Road

Bhaishajyaguru, the Buddha of Healing
Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China; 836
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object EssaysTibet’s Most Sacred Temple
Jokhang Temple, Lhasa
Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); ca. 620–640
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object Essays

Ancient Tibetan Buddhist Rock Carvings of Vairochana: Portraits of Tibetan Sovereigns and Their Courtiers

Imperial Carvings of Vairochana
Denma Drak, Kham region, eastern Tibet (present-day TAR, China); 804
Three-quarter bust of Buddha in ornately carved niche surrounded by colorful banners and offerings
Project Himalayan Art 108 Object EssaysThe Earliest Grand Buddhist Clay Sculpture in Bhutan and the Bhutanese Tradition of Clay Sculpting
Maitreya Statue at Jampa Lhakhang, Bhutan
Jampa Lhakhang, Chokhor, Bhutan; ca. 7th century
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