Four-Headed, Eight-Armed Aksobhya

NEPAL

This statue depicts Aksobhya Buddha seated in full lotus position on a double lotus throne. The triple head and supplementary upper head wear five-leaf crowns. The figure also wears much other jewelry, including flower ornaments on each wrist. Starting with the right hand in front of the chest and moving in a clockwise direction, the Buddha holds a vajra, a flaming wheel, arrow, sword, lotus, bow, rope, and vajra-handled bell. A small female figure with head turned to one side is seated astride the Buddha’s thigh with her right hand in vitarka (teaching) mudra and holding a lotus flower in her left.
The angular openwork stand has a petal-shaped ornament at the center. The elephants that usually accompany Aksobhya are on either side of the ornament, supporting the structure on their back and turning their head to look up at the Buddha.