Mahoba: Simhanada Avalokitesvara

INDIA, Uttar Pradesh, Mahoba

Simhanada means Lion Voiced. It is a Vajrayana artwork from the 11th century. The Bodhisattva was particularly credited with the ability to eliminate sickness.
The figure wears a high headdress with a few strands of hair falling to the shoulders. The upper body is unadorned except for a piece of cloth and a sacred thread that hangs across the chest. The right arm, holding prayer beads, rests on the knee, while the left hand supports the weight of the body as it sits in the posture of royal ease. A long-stemmed lotus flower runs up from this hand to shoulder height and supports a sword, while a trident entwined with a snake balances it on the left. The Bodhisattva rides on a lion, which looks upward and roars. Several strands of a beaded collar are wound about the lion’s mane and raised floral designs decorate the haunches. On either side of the lion, there are a small male and a female figure paying reverence.