Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Stupa (Buddhist Reliquary) - Swayambhunath

མཆོད་རྟེན། 佛塔
(item no. 2227)
Origin Location Nepal
Date Range 1800 - 1899
Lineages Buddhist
Material Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection Private
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Object/Concept

Interpretation / Description

Swayambhunath Stupa in Kathmandhu, Nepal. The date of the painting appears to be samvat 936 and in the Western calendar equals 1816.

Along the top are the Five Symbolic Buddhas (from the left side): Ratnasambhava, Akshobhya, Vairochana, Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi.

A white Lokeshvara stands at the lower left side. A blue Mahakala surrounded by flames stands at the lower right side.

The figures kneeling beside the central stupa are all inscribed with names. A lengthy donor inscription runs in two lines the width of the bottom of the composition.

Jeff Watt 2-2017

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