The image of Avalokiteshvara in the present painting has feminine appearances, which remind his female form in China, Korea, and Japan. He has different forms and epithets. Here he takes a unique form, Shrishtikanta Lokeshvara, 'Beautiful Creation Lord of the world.' Avalokiteshvara emanates the entire Brahmanical pantheon, especially the Dikpalas, for the benefit of all beings out of his universal compassion.
Shrishtikanta is standing gracefully in tribhanga posture on a moon disk on a lotus seat. His face is oval and very sweet looking. His compassionate eyes are open to see the sufferings of humankind and to help all and illuminate all with the light of wisdom. He is the great compassion and boundless wisdom. He displays here the varada pose with his right hand, while his left hand rests near his navel and holds a long stem of a lotus flower. His hair is partly upswept in a beautiful knot and partly tendrils on his shoulders. He has a seven-jewel crown and jeweled decoration. He wears a beautiful blouse like skirt, a flowing long green silk scarf, exquisitely designed necklaces with gemstone, a necklace of snake, armlets, bracelets and anklets. An antelope skin is over his left shoulder with the antelope's head on his left breast, this symbolizes compassion. Moreover he wears a blue brocade skirt, and silk leggings made of multicolored band of silk. A green halo with outer rim and an oval-shaped aureole with yellow outer rim, decorated with gemstone, are behind him. The auspicious offerings are beautifully rendered in the bottom center.
A large number of four-armed deities seated on clouds platforms surround his aureole, the deities are supposed to emanate from his various parts of his body. Amitahba Buddha is seated over his halo. The fourteen deities that emanates from Shrishtikanta include the Sun (Surya) and Moon god Chandra, the ten world protectors (Dikpalas), Hayagriva Bhairava, Naga and also the Brahmanical deities Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Sarasvati and Lakshmi. But all these deities do not exactly conforms to the textual sources, a later Buddhist text, the Karanda Vyuha gives the followeing emanations emerging from various parts of Avalokiteshvara, body:
1. Maheshvara (Shiva) from his head
2. Chandra from his left eye
3. Surya from his right eye
4. Brahma from his shoulders
5. Vishnu from his heart
6. Sarasvati from his teeth
7. Vayu from his mouth
8. Agni from his navel
9. Varuna from his stomach
10.Lakshmi from his Knees
11.Prithvi from his feet.
It is further mentioned in the above text that Avalokiteshvara said to Mahadeva, "you shall be Maheshvara when the Kali age arises. You shall be called the primal god (adideva), creator and maker." It is also said that the Shrishtikanta is also the creator of the eight Mahasiddha of the Charnel grounds.
The present painting is indeed very unique and rare as very few such types of paintings are generally found in the art mart, particularly the painting of Shrishtikanta. All the figures, especially of Shrishtikanta are brilliantly drawn and pained.
Select Bibliography
A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962
B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography,Calcutta, 1968
Ben Meulenbeld, Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thangka, Holland, 2001
Hugo E. Kreijger, Kathmandu Valley Painting: The Jucker Collecion, London, 1999
J.C. Huntington and D. Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, Ohio, 2004
This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)".
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