'Siva and Avalokitezvara

[N. Ganesan]

For a beautiful sculptural representation of
Avalokitezvara with attributes of 'Siva,
see the GaNDavyUha panels in Borobudur.

Avalokitezvara is having a Dhyani Buddha in his head.
His head decoration reminds us of 'Siva.
He is sitting cross-legged like a great yogin.
He is seated on a simhAsana.
He has six hands, three on each side.
Leaving out the broken palms,
the available palms hold:
1) rosary beads (upper right hand)
2) broken (middle right hand)
3) vara mudhra giving charity (lower right hand)
4) broken (upper left hand)
5) lotus stem (middle left hand)
6) a kamaNDalam (lower left hand)

The temple where he is seated looks like the
Southern Dravidian type where Sudhana
prays to him. This about 800 AD sculpture
is published in p. 132& 133, John Miksic,
Borobudur, Golden tales of the Buddhas, 1990

Regards,
N. Ganesan


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