Eleven-Headed, Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara

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Name: Eleven-Headed, Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara
Brand: Exotic India
SKU: EN81
Price: 710.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$817

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Specifications

	EN81
	Copper Statue Gilded with 24 Karat Gold
	Height: 13.5 inch
	Width: 10 inch
	Depth: 3 inch
	Weight 2.40 kg

Delivery and Return Policies

	Returns and Exchanges accepted within 7 days
	Free Delivery

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Fully Insured

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100% Handmade

All products are
MADE IN INDIA.

Found within: Statues > Copper Statues

Visual Splendor and Divine Form

Behold this exquisite copper statue, a radiant depiction of Avalokiteshvara, resplendent in 24 Karat gold gilding. The intricate detail and masterful craftsmanship capture the essence of compassion and boundless assistance embodied by this revered Bodhisattva. Measuring 13.5 x 10.0 x 3.0 inches, this piece commands attention, becoming a focal point that elevates any space with spiritual significance and aesthetic beauty. The statue presents an awe-inspiring visual, with its elaborate arrangement of heads and arms, signifying the Bodhisattva's far-reaching capacity to perceive and alleviate suffering. The gold gilding enhances the overall luminosity, creating a powerful and uplifting presence.

The Thousand-Armed Embodiment of Compassion

Avalokiteshvara is revered across many cultures as the embodiment of compassion. He is known by various names, including Chenrezig in Tibetan Buddhism and Kannon in Japan. He embodies the bodhisattva vow to postpone his own enlightenment until he has helped all sentient beings achieve liberation from suffering. Legends abound of Avalokiteshvara's compassion so profound that it caused his head to split into many pieces upon witnessing the immense suffering of the world. Amitabha Buddha, his spiritual father, then reassembled the fragments into eleven heads, representing his ability to see and understand the suffering of all beings. This form allows him to perceive suffering in all directions, and each face represents a different aspect of his compassionate nature. The many arms, sometimes symbolically represented as a thousand, symbolize his ability to extend his aid in countless ways simultaneously. Each hand often holds a specific symbolic object or mudra (hand gesture), representing different methods of offering help and guidance to those in need. The statue's complex iconography is not merely decorative, but a powerful visualization tool for practitioners and a potent symbol of the Bodhisattva’s all-encompassing compassion. This is a representation of infinite benevolence.

A Treasure of Spiritual Significance

Owning such a meticulously crafted statue allows for a tangible connection to these profound concepts. It serves as a daily reminder of compassion, empathy, and the potential within us all to cultivate these qualities. Whether displayed in a meditation room, a living space, or a sacred altar, this Avalokiteshvara statue will undoubtedly enrich your environment with its beauty, grace, and spiritual presence. It is a remarkable example of artistic and spiritual harmony, sure to become a treasured artifact.

How are Nepalese copper statues made?

Nepalese statues and sculptures are best known for their unique small religious figures and ritual paraphernalia for over two thousand years. These are mainly cast in copper alloy. Nepal draws influences from the artistic styles of Buddhism and Hinduism, and therefore the sculptors of the country specialize in making the icons of both these religions. Over the years, Nepalese sculptures evolved into their own distinctive iconography. Some characteristic features of these sculptures that differ from other pieces are exaggerated physical postures, youthful and sensual features, languid eyes, wider faces having serene expressions, and ornate flourishes. The Buddhist deity icons of Nepal have tremendous demand in countries such as China and Tibet for ritual purposes in their temples and monasteries.

Nepalese statues and sculptures have a high copper content and therefore develop a slightly reddish patina on the surface as they age. However, the most unique feature of Nepalese copper statues is their decorative detailing. The pieces are heavily gilded and sometimes inlaid with semi-precious stones. This embellishment protects them from getting tarnished. The traditional lost-wax method for casting Nepalese copper statues remains the most practiced technique in Nepal for many centuries. This process involves many steps and requires skilled artists.

The first step in lost-wax sculpting is to make a wax replica of the desired Buddhist deity to be cast in copper. This replica is created by hand and therefore needs excellent artistic skills otherwise fine features will be lacking.

Once the wax replica is made, it is then coated with a special mixture of clay with a brush. This layer of clay is hardened when left to dry. A small hole is made on the base of the wax mould so that the wax flows away when it is heated.

At this stage, a hollow mould in the shape of the deity is obtained.

This is the time to pour liquid copper into the hollow mould which is then allowed to cool and harden inside a container of cold water. When the liquid metal has hardened, the mould is removed and the statue within is revealed.

The artist works on the details of the statue using various tools. It is then polished to get a shiny and lustrous surface.

Now comes the most important part of Nepalese art which is gold gilding. This is done by the traditional fire gilding method. A mixture of mercury and 18K gold is applied on the surface of the statue and heat is applied using a flame torch. The result is that mercury evaporates along with impurities, leaving a pure 24K gold finish.

The lost-wax method of sculpting is the most preferred technique

for artists to cast a metallic statue having intricate details. Since Nepalese copper sculptures require extraneous effort for giving a majestic look by adding special embellishments, it takes several weeks to complete one masterpiece. A 24K gold gilded copper sculpture retains its brilliant luster for many years and appears as like before. Nepalese sculptures continue to remain one of the finest specimens of the art of the East that have a strong aesthetic appeal that other sculptures cannot match.