The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

Avalokiteshvara, the savior-like bodhisattva of compassion, was revered from India to Indonesia to Japan for his compassion and readiness to assist those who are suffering. He still has many devotees today in some places.

In China, by the 1400s, this bodhisattva was often reinterpreted as female—as Guanyin, the “goddess of mercy.” Here, Avalokiteshvara is shown sitting on a lion throne and arrayed in jewels like a prince.

Above his head is a parasol, an ancient symbol of royal status. In his elaborate hairdress is an image of the buddha Amitabha with whom he is associated. At the base of the sculpture a needle-nosed starving ghost kneels and drinks nectar dripping from Avalokiteshvara’s gift-granting hand.