4. Avalokitesvara images in Cambodia

Cambodian history is divided into two broad periods, the early phase between the fourth century and year 802 is designated as the Pre-Angkor period. After 802 Angkor became the capital of the Cambodia Kingdom and remained so until its destruction by the Thais in the fifteenth century. The long second period is called the Angkor period. Most surviving Khmer monuments, whether in Cambodia belong to the Angkor period, but the Pre-Angkor period is well represented by inscriptions and sculptures. The earliest sculptures belong to the seventh century.^[1]

In the Pre-Angkor sculptures in the collection depict bodhisattvas, two of whom can be identified as Maitreya and Avalokitesvara. Maitreya, the Future Buddha, is distinguished by the stupa in his crown. Avalokitesvara, his identification is certain because of the presence of a seated meditating Buddha in his chignon, representing his parental Buddha Amitabha.

Two Armed Form

The earliest images of Avalokitesvara are representing two arms depictions throughout the Pre-Angkor period. These images identified as the Bodhisattva stands in an erect but slightly relaxed pose, holding a padma bud in his raised right hand. His left hand carries a Kamandalu at the level of the hip. According to Nandana Chutiwongs: “This type of iconography is displayed by a group of Avalokitesvara images from Central Thailand, and by some of his depictions from Champa, in the art of Indonesia, it occurs among his earliest representations.”^[2] This form of Avalokitesvara we also seen the same in the images of South Vietnam in Tra Vinh province. Nandana Chutiwongs also observes that this form seems to have been very popular in the Pre-Angkor period, evidently influenced the iconography of Maitreya.^[3]

Four Armed Form

The four armed form of Avalokitesvara represented by many relief carvings and by numerous free-standing sculptures. The Bodhisattva holds a padma bud in his lower right hand, and a Kamandalu in his lower lelt hand. An Aksamala and a pustaka are present in his upper right and upper left hand respectively. The four armed form of Avalokitesvara holding attributes in the manner described above seems to have been the most popular of all his manifestations in Cambodia.^[4] Presumably, most of his damaged depictions in the bas-reliefs which adorn the monuments of Jayavarman VII, originally displayed the Bodhisattva in this form. Some figures even without his hand attributes, he can be identified as the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, commonly addressed in Khmer literature as “Lord of the World” (Lokeshvara). His distinctive iconographic element is the small figure of a meditating Buddha in his Chignon.

The form is modeled in smooth, broad surfaces with the transitions such as the knees indicated by subtle variations. The head, neck, and shoulders display naturalistic proportions as do the shape and features of the face. Related to earlier Bantei Srei-style figures, especially the dvarapala, the face is more rounded with soft, fleshy features.

The most noteworthy formal characteristic on the stone figure is the absence of ornamentation, except for the crown. By contrast, the giltbronze figure wears all the usual ornaments. The second prominent difference is the treatment of the sampot and its embellishments. That of the bronze is typical of the late twelfth century style.

The proportions of the sandstone bodhisattva are more characteristic of later figures with rather stumpy legs (the feet and lower portion of the legs are modern additions). Characteristic of the thirteenth century, the preference is for heavy, wide hips with rather ungainly limbs. The face and its features are, however, closer to that in the Baphuon style Avalokitesvara than to the gilt-bronze figure, which has a more characteristically Angkor Vat style face.

Six-Armed Form

The six-armed form of Avalokitesvara is represented by the attributes in his right hands, from front to back, consist of a Padma bud, Vajra and Aksamala. In his left hands, viewed in the same order, we observe a Kamandalu, Ankusa and Pustaka.^[5] The attributes thus include all the regular symbols of Avalokitesvara. Nandana Chutiwongs admits that, “Six armed depictions of Avalokitesvara are fairly well-known in the art of India, and Indonesia. They also occur in the iconography of Central Asia, and the Himalaya countries.”^[6]

Beside that there are some forms of Avalokitesvara such as: Eightarmed form, Ten-armed form, Sixteen-armed form, Twenty-two-armed form, and Thirty-two-armed form. Nandana Chutiwongs observes that the upper part of Avalokitesvara’s body is usually bare, conforming to the modes which prevail in the Post-Gupta style of Maharastra, in the art of Dvaravati and Champa, and in the early phase of the Buddhist art in the Malay archipelago.^[7]

The lower part is represented by short and plain lower garment, tied up with a simple cord or a belt made of cloth, seen in many of the earliest images of Avalokitesvara in Cambodia. Its antecedents may be found in the Gupta style of North India, while a related type exists in the early phase of the art of peninsular Thailand.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

N. Chutiwongs, The Iconography of Avalokitesvara in Mainland S.E.A, Delhi: 2002, p. 219.

[2]:

N. Chutiwongs, The Iconography of Avalokitesvara in Mainland S.E.A, Delhi: 2002, p. 232.

[3]:

Ibid.

[4]:

See the picture

[5]:

See the picture.

[6]:

N. Chutiwongs, The Iconography of Avalokitesvara in Mainland S.E.A, Delhi: 2002, p. 237.

[7]:

N. Chutiwongs, The Iconography of Avalokitesvara in Mainland S.E.A, Delhi: 2002, p. 250.