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Ninh Phuc Temple Main Hall: Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara
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Ninh Phuc Temple Main Hall: Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara
VIETNAM, Bac Ninh, Thuan Thanh; Dated 1656; Wood; H: 3.7 m
Created in 1656, the tall composition was assembled from several separate parts. The deep lotus throne on which Avalokitesvara sits is supported on the head and arms of a naga king that holds a pearl in its mouth. Beneath the naga is a many-leveled Sumeru base. The Bodhisattva wears an elaborate headdress that in turn supports the rest of the heads in three tiers, above which is a meditating Buddha. The two principal pairs of arms are in anjali (reverence) and dhyana (meditation) mudras at the front, while a further eighteen arms forming different mudras surround the body. The rest of the arms stretch out in a circular mandorla behind the statue. |
