Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is one of the most popular deities in Nepal, where 108 forms of him are known, the actual number of forms probably even exceeding that number. In his simplest form, extending his right hand in the gesture of giving (varadamudra) and holding the stalk of a lotus in his left, he is often called Padmapani, or “Lotus-in-hand.” In addition to his ornamentation, which once included an image of Buddha Amitabha in front of the hairknot, he wears a brahmanic thread across his chest. The loose, flowing garment that falls in elegant folds around his legs is held by a sash across his thighs.