The Newar Craftsmen of Kathmandu Valley: Objects of Devotion from Nepal

Manjushri
Mineral pigments on primed cotton
By Gyan Bakta Lama
47” x 38
2018

Manjushri is the celestial bodhisattva who holds aloft a flaming sword of transcendent wisdom (prajna) that cuts through the clouds of spiritual ignorance and dualistic thinking. Above his left shoulder is the Prajna-paramita Sutra, the foundational text of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. In a Newar legend recounting the Kathmandu Valley’s origin, Manjushri uses his sword to cut open the southern mountain to drain the pre-existing lake, creating the Valley and making it inhabitable for his disciples, the ancestors of the Newar people.