The Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) with Five Topknots

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This variant form of the bodhisattva Monju, a deity associated with wisdom, is called Monju with Five Topknots (Gokei Monju). Imagined as a boy sitting cross-legged on a lotus pedestal, he holds his usual attributes: a sword and sacred text. A pair of Sanskrit letters above him stands for Dainichi, the buddha at the center of the Buddhist cosmos.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art