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

Tathagata Amoghasiddhi
Mineral pigments on primed cotton
By Purna Heju, 13 x 16
Based upon an original twelfth-century work belonging to a Kadampa monastery in central Tibet.
1985

The cosmic Buddha Amoghasiddhi resides in the northern direction of the directional Buddha mandala. He sits in meditation showing the mudra of protection. In this icon he is shown in a neutral flesh color, not in green as is usually found in other paintings. As in many Newar compositions of this type, the large central Buddha is flanked by two divine bodhisattvas: Padmapani, the bodhisattva of compassion holding a lotus, a mudra of limitless generosity; and Maitreya, the next historical Buddha. Ten seated bodhisattva devotees decorate the upper register; in the bottom register, the portrait of a Tibetan lama signals that the original painting was likely painted in Tibet or for a Tibetan patron. The roundness and sweetness of the faces is a characteristic Newar portrayal of a Buddha.