Bodhisattvia Avalokiteshvara. Pre-Angkor. Cambodia, VIII-IX centuries.

Bodhisattvia Avalokiteshvara. Pre-Angkor. Cambodia, 8th-10th centuries.
Gilded bronze.
Measurements: 36 x 13 cm (figure); 8 x 9 x 9 x 9 cm (pedestal).

Cambodian sculpture from the Pre-Angkor period. It represents one of the most revered bodhisattvuas of compassion in Mahayana Buddhism. The name (in its Sanskrit etymology) can be translated as "Lotus holder". The statuette stands out for its ornamental pattern and for the four arms that compose a dynamic and, paradoxically, also hieratic image. In each hand it holds an attribute. The piece shows a high quality craftsmanship, denoting a great attention to detail, which can be seen in many details of the attire and headdress. In the headdress she wears a seated Buddha.

This four-armed Avalokiteshvara can be related to a cache of small icons recovered by chance from the early 8th century Khmer brick and sandstone temple Prasat Ak Yom, located on what is now an embankment of the West Baray, the 11th century reservoir of Angkor. This temple was probably the first stepped pyramidal temple in Khmer history. It has two inscriptions on the door jambs, dated 674 and 704, respectively. During excavations in the 1930s, a set of bronzes was found hidden in a cavity behind a lintel. This bronze probably comes from the same workshop that supplied images to the temple of Prasat Ak Yom.

Avalokiteshvara is the bodhisattva of compassion. He is one of the most widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism, as well as unofficially in Theravada. He is known in Tibet as Chenrezig, in China as and in Japan as Kannon. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is considered his incarnation of Avalokiteshvara. A well-known Buddhist legend narrates that Avalokiteshvara vowed never to rest until he had liberated all sentient beings from samsara. Despite his exhausting effort, he realized that there were still many unfortunate beings to be saved. After struggling to understand the needs of all, his head was divided into eleven parts. Amitabha Buddha, observing his plight, gave him eleven heads to hear the cries of the suffering. Hearing those cries and understanding them, Avalokiteshvara tried to reach out to all those who needed help, but found that his arms were shattered. Once again, Amit?bha came to his aid and endowed him with a thousand arms so that he could help the suffering multitudes.