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Eleven-headed Kwanum (Kwanseum) Boddhisattva
Eleven-headed Kwanum (Kwanseum) Boddhisattva
Directly behind the main statue, on one panel of the rotunda
wall, is a finely executed carving of Kwanum (Kwanseum)
Boddhisattva, the Boddhisattva of Mercy. As is common in
East Asia, the figure is depicted as a woman, even though
Kwanum (Avalokitesvara) Boddhisattva is technically neither
male nor female. The clothing is executed in exquisite detail,
with the figure's right hand holding a garment cord between
thumb and forefinger, while the left hand holds a bottle or vase
from which protrudes a flower. What is most striking, however,
is the headdress the figure wears, with eleven heads arranged
symetrically in rows of seven, three, and one, symbolizing
Buddhist wisdom. The statue as a whole is 2.2 meters high.
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