This very rare and unique finely modeled Buddha is decorated with hundreds of small Buddhas and elephants throughout. Lord Buddha is depicted standing in a straight pose on a square base, dressed in a short dhoti secured with a pendant belt. His eight radiating arms holding a vajra, ax, sutra, monkey, chakra, rosary (malas), kundika (vase) and phurpa, his broad face surmounted by a tall crown with a diminutive Amitabha nestled in his chignon. Amoghapasa represents a tantric form of Avalokiteshvara and is particularly popular in Nepal, where he is regarded as the tutelary deity of the Kathmandu Valley. A special rite, performed on the eighth day of the moon’s brighter two weeks of each month was dedicated to him, and it is possible that this sculpture was the focus of such a ritual.
In this eight-armed form, Avalokiteshvara is known as Amoghapasha, “he whose noose is unfailing,” after the noose (pasha) he uses to remove impediments to enlightenment. The complexity of casting a multi-armed figure attests to the sophistication of the metal workers. A very unique style of Khmer art!
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