Tibetan Name:
Kungtu Sangpo
Materials: Lost Wax Method, Gold Plated Copper, Made
in Nepal
Height: 15 1/2 inches
Width: 12 inches Depth: 8 inches
Weight: 9 pounds
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Statue
There
are three groups with sixteen Bodhisattvas. Among these three groups, one
group is headed by Samantabhadra (Universal Goodness). He is important as
the leader of sixteen Bodhisattvas. He is not less important than the
Future Buddha,
Maitreya who is the head of the two other lists of
Bodhisattvas.
Here Samantabhadra is
represented in a seated pose holding a full blown
lotus in each hand.
He is shown with a crown, ornaments and precious garments. He holds chintamani (jewel) in his hands. He is seated on a single lotus base
and the back is decorated with conch shells; a symbol of the proclamation of
the Buddha's teachings. The conch symbolizes the truth of the Dharma.
The arch of the piece was
made using a process called
repoussé,
the process of ornamenting metallic
surfaces with designs in relief hammered out from the back by hand.
The arch is removable from the piece along with the two lotus flowers on either
side of Samantabhadra.