Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

INDIA

This statue originated from Kashmir. The Bodhisattva wears a high three-leaf crown that includes a seated Buddha in the center. Plaited hair falls to the shoulders from beneath the crown. There are flower ornaments above the ears that are similarly patterned to the earrings. The Bodhisattva wears a variety of other jewelry, but the most noticeable adornments are the antelope skin secured with a knot in front of the chest, and the long garland that winds over the arms and to the shins. An embroidered cloth is tied around the waist with a hem that falls almost to the ankles. The right hand forms the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra, while the left hand holds a long-stemmed lotus. The Bodhisattva stands on an inverted lotus pedestal that rests on a Sumeru base. One leg is advanced, so the weight of the body is shifted to the other leg. A small alcove for sacred objects is at the back of the base.