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Kathmandu: Eight-Armed Amoghapasa Avalokitesvara
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Kathmandu: Eight-Armed Amoghapasa Avalokitesvara
NEPAL, Kathmandu; 15th century; Wood; H: 153.5 cm; Art Institute of Chicago, USA
Amoghapasa is a form of Avalokitesvara very popular in Nepal. The name refers to the “unfailing noose.”
The figure, standing on a double lotus pedestal, once had eight arms, but all that remain is a complete right arm held in varada (wish-granting) mudra and a damaged one that may have held the noose. The Bodhisattva wears a crown fronted by a lotus flower. Numerous pieces of jewelry decorate the body, the most interesting being the beaded necklace that reaches to the thighs. The elongated body is in tribhanga posture and has an hourglass figure. A belt with sashes hanging from three different points has ornate hems while another sash loops across the thighs. Most of the paint has flaked off the statue but residual paint is still visible. |
