Sahasrabhuja – Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara
See it in the Museum
India and Nepal
Orientation 1
Wall object 5
ABP 070
Code: ABP 070
Country: Nepal
Style:
Date: 1504
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 78 x 96
Materials: Unknown
Sahasrabhuja – Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara
This highly refined Nepalese painting (paubha) representing the Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara is remarkable in many regards. In addition to great aesthetic qualities—of which the beauty of the fabric is but one example— a dedication at the bottom specifies when and where it was consecrated and the sponsor’s name. It connects it to Tham Bahi, an ancient Kathmandu temple with a rich history linked to Tibet. The bodhisattva’s entourage does not usually correspond to this form but to Amoghapasha’s, whose tiny representation appears below the main deity. Other forms of Avalokiteshvara acting as protectors against the eight forms of fear are also depicted around him in the halo.
But the iconography of this piece is most surprising. Avalokiteshvara is recognizable in his thousand-armed form, but some details differ compared to his usual form (see ABP 004). Fourteen pairs of his main hands are visible, some in unusual positions. This form, unknown to date in Tibet, is found only on the Silk Road and in the Far East, five to six centuries earlier. Finally, the side registers contain a series of unidentified scenes depicting many Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This astonishing work thus remains quite mysterious.
This highly refined Nepalese painting (paubha) representing the Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara is remarkable in many regards. In addition to great aesthetic qualities—of which the beauty of the fabric is but one example— a dedication at the bottom specifies when and where it was consecrated and the sponsor’s name. It connects it to Tham Bahi, an ancient Kathmandu temple with a rich history linked to Tibet. The bodhisattva’s entourage does not usually correspond to this form but to Amoghapasha’s, whose tiny representation appears below the main deity. Other forms of Avalokiteshvara acting as protectors against the eight forms of fear are also depicted around him in the halo.
But the iconography of this piece is most surprising. Avalokiteshvara is recognizable in his thousand-armed form, but some details differ compared to his usual form (see ABP 004). Fourteen pairs of his main hands are visible, some in unusual positions. This form, unknown to date in Tibet, is found only on the Silk Road and in the Far East, five to six centuries earlier. Finally, the side registers contain a series of unidentified scenes depicting many Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This astonishing work thus remains quite mysterious.