Manjushri and Prajna Nepal, 1571 gilt bronze, semi-precious stones, 7 3/4 inches (19.5 cm) high Gift of Irene Littledale Downs 1972.127 Rotate Manjushri and Prajna

The Bodhisattva Manjushri plays an especially important role in Nepal. Legend tells how with his sword he cut a gorge to drain the Kathmandu valley of water. Manjushri is shown with his consort to symbolize the abstract Buddhist concepts of upaya and prajna (the method by which ignorance is removed and the means by which this is accomplished). This message is reinforced by the sword of wisdom and the Prajnaparamita Sutra that he holds in his top right and bottom left hands respectively. An inscription along the base dates this piece to 1571.


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