The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Dispensing Boons: Folio from an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Manuscript
early 12th century
Medium
Opaque watercolor on palm leaf
Dimensions
Page: 2 3/4 x 16 7/16 in. (7 x 41.8 cm) Image: 2 1/2 x 1 15/16 in. (6.4 x 4.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
India, West Bengal or Bangladesh · Pala period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2001
Accession Number
2001.445l
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio, created by the Mahavihara Master in early 12th-century India during the Pala period (roughly West Bengal or Bangladesh), comes from an *Ashtasahasrika Prajaramita* manuscript—a sacred Mahayana Buddhist text known as the "Perfection of in Eight Thousand Stanzas It depicts the compassionate Bodhisattva Avalokhvara dispensing boons, surrounded by devotees receiving blessings. Avalokiteshvara, the embodiment of mercy in Buddhism, is shown in a serene, multi-armed form, symbolizing his boundless ability to aid suffering beings. Painted in opaque watercolor on a slender palm l...