Avalokiteshvara in a Multiarmed Tantric Form

Avalokiteshvara in a Multiarmed Tantric Form

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This esoteric form of Avalokiteshvara holds a range of attributes in his twenty-four hands, including the sun, the moon, a vajra, and a bell. Multiarmed, powerful tantric forms of Avalokiteshvara were introduced into East Asia by the monk Amoghavajra as part of an eighth-century effort to repel Tibet’s military expansion across Central Asia. Later, this protective form of Avalokiteshvara, who is able to aid his numerous devotees with his many arms, became especially popular in Tibet after the north Indian monk Atisha (980–1054) emphasized this tantric deity.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Avalokiteshvara in a Multiarmed Tantric FormAvalokiteshvara in a Multiarmed Tantric FormAvalokiteshvara in a Multiarmed Tantric FormAvalokiteshvara in a Multiarmed Tantric FormAvalokiteshvara in a Multiarmed Tantric Form

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.