Simhanada Avalokiteshvara

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This relief from Orissa, shows the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara seated on a thin plank placed on the back of a stylized lion, which turns its head toward the divine rider, opening its jaws, as if about to roar. This denotes that the aspect of Avalokiteshvara here rendered is Simhanada-Avalokiteshvara, or "Avalokiteshvara uttering the Lion's Roar," or in other words, Avalokiteshvara preaching the overpowering doctrine of enlightenment, which puts to silence all other voices.

The bodhisattva's handsome, well-modelled form seems to be suffused with a gentle inward life. His beautifully chiselled face with sharp, almost feminine features, has a serene, inward looking expression with just a slight trace of a contended smile. The thick lips are sensual, yet sophisticatedly delineated. The expansive, arched eyebrows frame two conch-shaped eyes. He has a prominent chin and stylized, nevertheless life-like ears, bereft of any ornamentation.

The limbs are plant-like in smoothness. There is a wonderful lyric musicality about his dreamy attitude, embodying an unending compassion and a sublime, knowing indifference. He sits in a relaxed posture, known as the 'rajalila asana,' or the posture of 'kingly ease.' The right knee, drawn upwards, supports his loosely extended right arm, which also is of a tender, maiden like, womanly grace. In the figure of Avalokiteshvara, who assumes various aspects at will and is endowed with a charm beyond the differentiation of sex, the artist has very skilfully fused a youthful male form with a typically feminine grace.

The high crown on his head complements the slightly elongated face. In fact, the whole figure is a well-balanced harmony of proportions, including the lithe limbs, broad shoulders, and a graceful chest tapering to a slim, healthy waist. Lower down, Avalokiteshvara wears a short dhoti, ending well above his knees.

Except for a sash across his torso, he is essentially an ascetic figure. From his left hand shoots up a full-blown lotus and to his right is a trident. Two braids of his hair fall across the right shoulder.

Avalokiteshvara, like many other Mahayana bodhisattvas, has an animal mount, often inspired from the Hindu pantheon. Here he has been provided with the lion of Durga – which accords well with the feminine traits in his character. The trident is the weapon of Shiva, Durga's spouse. Thus the strong influence of Shaivite iconography is amply evident here. Indeed, even the posture of the lion is reminiscent of the images of Shiva in which the Lord's bull regards his master adoringly.

The figure is sculpted out of black granite, an extremely hard and tough medium.

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