Pasho Monastery: Aryavalokitesvara

CHINA, Tibet, Qamdo

Aryavalokitesvara is also known as World-Honored Avalokitesvara. This form of Avalokitesvara is recognized by the image of Dharmaraja instead of the usual Amitabha Buddha on the crown. The standing Bodhisattva holds a lotus in the left hand, while the right hand forms the varada (wish-granting) mudra.
Aryavalokitesvara wears a trefoil headdress with the head tilted slightly to one side. The right hand forms the varada mudra, while the left hand is placed at the hip and holds a flowering lotus stalk. The upper body is bare, while the lower body is covered by a tight-fitting dhoti. There is a belt at the waist from which a long ribbon extends.
According to records, Songtsan Gampo (reigned 629–650) received two Avalokitesvara statues: an Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara and Aryavalokitesvara. Therefore, Aryavalokitesvara is very popular in Tibet and is reproduced in large quantities throughout the country.