Padmapani Lokeshvara Seated on the Rock

Though diminutive, this image conveys a monumental power through the intense expression particular to Kashmiri art. He sits alert in yogic concentration on a lotus pedestal that exists miraculously in a rocky wilderness. His left hand holds the stem of a lotus flower—the main attribute of this bodhisattva of compassion. His generously sized right hand with fleshy palm is in the gift-giving gesture. The tiny figure of Amitabha, the Buddha who sits in meditation in his crown, identifies the image as Avalokiteshvara.