Chengde Puning Temple Mahayana Hall: Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara

CHINA, Hebei, Chengde; Qing dynasty

The figure is located on top of a 1.2 m high lotus pedestal. The Bodhisattva wears a crown with an Amitabha image at its apex and is richly adorned with numerous pieces of jewelry, including elaborate armlets and bracelets on each of the 42 arms that conventionally represent the thousand with which this form is credited. Forty arms are arrayed around the body, each with an eye in the palm of the hand and holding various attributes or ritual gestures. All the arms are hollow, so there is less pressure on the center of the statue. A final pair of hands is joined in anjali (reverence) mudra before the heart.
The statue weighs 110 t and is one of the largest wooden Avalokitesvara statues in China. The Mahayana Pavilion has a total height of 37.4 m and has three stories. Each story features a platform from where visitors can observe the Bodhisattva from different heights.