Rongto Hall: Vairocana Buddha
Purple limestone
Rongto Hall: Vairocana Buddha
CHINA, Tibet, Qamdo
This statue of Vairocana is popularly reported to have been completed when Princess Wencheng married the Tibetan ruler Songtsan Gampo (reigned 629–650), but it is actually of a later date. The figure has a tall cylindrical topknot under a three-leaf crown, over which a five-leaf crown was reconstructed in 1985. The head is broad and the ears have extended lobes. A monastic robe with broad hem covers both shoulders. The folds over the arms and crossed legs are indicated by simple layering of the stone. The Buddha sits meditating with hands in dhyana (meditation) mudra on a lotus throne. Stylized lions with bells worn around their necks sit on either side below the throne.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr, page 882.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture N-Sr},
pages = 882,
title = {{Rongto Hall: Vairocana Buddha}},
volume = 12,
year = {2016}}