Sarnath: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

INDIA, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi

The sculpture’s provenance from Sarnath is typified by the round face and soft pose. The topknot is fronted by a meditating Amitabha Buddha. The torso is otherwise bare apart from the long sacred thread that reaches to the knee.
A belt secures a thin transparent skirt where the left leg is visibly bent beneath it. A sash is knotted diagonally over the thighs, the remaining fabric falling in a pattern of convoluted pleats. Over the sash at the side the remains of the right hand is open in varada (wish-granting) mudra. The left arm is intact and the hand holds the broken stem of a lotus. Two hungry ghosts are begging for the dew that drips from the Bodhisattva’s right arm to the left of the lotus pedestal. An inscription carved along the base states the sculpture is dedicated to all sentient beings so they may attain enlightenment.