Miniature Stela of the Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara

Like the stone seated Buddha in the collection, this statue is also a product of the Pala period's florescence in Buddhist art and architecture. A Bodhisattva is "one whose essence is awakening." In later Indian Buddhist thought, this term meant a spiritually advanced person who, through exquisite compassion, delays his or her own enlightenment in order to help others along the path. Avalokiteshvara was a very popular deity in Northern Buddhism, and later, in Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism. The name means "one who looks down upon," and as the glance of this statue shows so elegantly, Avalokiteshvara looks down upon all beings with exquisite compassion. Buddhas from other lifetimes serve as witnesses.

A meditator would note Avalokiteshvara's graceful posture, itself an act of compassion towards those "lower" than he. He is feeding the "hungry ghosts," or souls of the dead which are suffering the consequences of their own deeds. From his outstretched hand, drops of nectar fall to nourish them. It was probably a statue like this that prompted the Sanskrit poet Ratnakirti to compose the words:

All conquering is the savior of the world. His lotus hand, stretched down in charity, is dripping streams of nectar to assuage the thirsty spirits of the dead. His glorious face is bright with gathered moonlight and his glance is soft with that deep pity that he bears within.