Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara)

c. 1500

Western Tibet

Medium

Gum tempera and ink on cotton

Measurements

Overall: 94.6 x 69.2 cm (37 1/4 x 27 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1982.147

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Location

Not on view

Description

One thousand arms surround the central figure like a radiating halo. Each hand has an eye in the palm to see the suffering of all beings, generating the sense of compassion that this figure embodies. The special form of the central image of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara derives from the mystic vision of a nun named Gelongma Palmo, who was born a Kashmiri princess, but prayed for leprosy to avoid having to marry and became an accomplished nun. While meditating in a cave, she achieved this vision of 11-headed, 1,000-armed Avalokiteshvara, who cured her leprosy and guided her on the path to enlightenment.