figure
- Museum number
- 1872,0701.97
- Title
- Object: sculpture
- Description
-
Figure of Padmapāṇi (Avalokiteśvara). Made of stone (basalt). The figure holds a large lotus, his distingishing emblem, and displays varadamudrā, the gesture of granting boons. He has long locks and wears a tall crown, in the centre of which is a seated figure of the Buddha. This is a common feature in the iconography of Avalokiteśvara. The Buddhist creed is inscribed in the oval halo which surrounds the the head of the Bodhisattva. There are two small female consorts flanking the Bodhisattva: one holds a lotus and is the female counterpart of Padmapāṇi; the other may be identified as Brāhmī from her rosary, akṣamālā, and water-pot, kamaṇḍalu. On the pedestal is a dedicatory inscription invoking the Buddha.
- Production date
- 9thC-10thC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 123 centimetres
-
Width: 61.10 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- Blurton, 1997:
Padmapāṇi is a form of the great Bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara. He is the
spiritual son of the cosmic Buddha Amitābha and one of the most popular deities in the pantheon of Mahāyāna Buddhism. He is associated with the lotus and thus, like Brahmā, responsible for creation in the cosmic process. Padmapāṇi's close relation to Brahmā is graphically illustrated in this stele by the presence of Brāhmī as a consort.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
1997 13 Oct-1998 5 Jan, India, New Delhi, National Museum, The Enduring Image
1998 9 Feb-3 May, India, Mumbai, Sir Caswasjee Jahangir Hall, The Enduring Image
- Acquisition date
- 1872
- Acquisition notes
- Purchased by John Bridge at the Stuart sale at Christie's in June, 1830. The collection was given to the British Museum in 1872 by Mrs John Bridge and his nieces, Miss Fanny Bridge and Mrs Edgar Baker, on the death that year of George Bridge, brother of John Bridge.
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1872,0701.97
