Avalokiteshvara is one of the most popular deities in Himalayan Buddhism and signifies the quintessential Tibetan attribute of compassion. He is said to have more than a hundred forms, three of which are the most prevalent:
1) Padampani or "Lotus in Hand.' This is a very ancient form, often depicted standing, holding a lotus (padam) in one of the hands (pani)
2). Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara
3). Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara
Padampani Avalokiteshvara stands here on a lotus pedestal. His right hand makes the Abhaya mudra of fearlessness, while the left supports a stalk which ends at a blossoming lotus at his shoulder. The soft treatment of the deity's facial features combined with the suppleness of his limbs gives him an almost feminine demeanour. This reveals the artist's detailed acquaintance with the mythology of Avalokiteshvara, since the beautiful Tara of Tibet and the graceful Chinese goddess Quan Yin, are both emanations of Avalokiteshvara himself.
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