MANSJURI

Image of the bodhisattva Mansjuri “the one with the sweet appearance”, incarnation of wisdom, standing in abhanga or slight flexion with his characteristic attributes. In the right hand he holds the sword (khadga), the weapon that fights against ignorance, and in the left hand the blue lotus symbol of intelligence on which rests the sacred book or manuscript (pustaka). He wears a very high headdress, characteristic of the images of the western area (Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh), with side fan-shaped ribbons, necklaces, bracelets, bangles, sacred cord, and a garment whose folds reach to the knees and belt. It is a very stylized figure, somewhat disproportionate, as is usual in the images of this school, with a calm expression as befits this bodhisattva, resting on an unusual base of two rows of lotus petals of which the lower one is larger and, in turn, rests on a support pierced with stylized four-petaled flowers. Comparison with works of similar characteristics allows us to date it between the 12th and 14th centuries, a period when Buddhism still survived in the Kashmir area. R.C.M. / Extracted from: Isabel CERVERA FERNÁNDEZ: Fundación Rodríguez-Acosta. Asian Art Collection. Granada, 2002. Bibliography: COMAS, R.: The art of the Himalayas in the Spanish collections: the bronzes. Madrid, 1993, p. 357.