Nalanda: Four-Armed Avalokitesvara

INDIA, Bihar

The Four-Armed Avalokitesvara wears a three-leaf crown that features a depiction of Amitabha Buddha. A petal-shaped nimbus surrounds the head and is edged with flames. The lower right hand features a Dharma wheel on the palm and opens in the varada (wish-granting) mudra, while the hand above holds a string of prayer beads. The lower left hand holds a vase while the other hand grasps a lotus flower. The figure wears ornate jewelry and a beaded sacred thread over the chest.
The two seated Buddhas next to the nimbus are Aksobhya on the left and Amitabha to the right. The two attendants at the bottom are the four-armed Bhrkuti on the right and the two-armed Tara on the left. Both are in tribhanga posture with their right hands in varada (wish-granting) mudra. Bhrkuti holds prayer beads, a vase and a trident while Tara holds a flower. A hungry ghost with a swollen abdomen kneels beside the Bodhisattva’s right leg and gazes upward. At the very bottom on the left is a kneeling devotee.