- Title
- The Buddhist Goddess Vasudhara
- Date Made
- circa late 12th - early 13th century
- Medium
- Copper alloy inlaid with gemstones and glass; traces of gilding
- Dimensions
- 19 x 15 1/2 x 11 in. (48.3 x 39.4 x 28 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.81.8.2
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Vasundhara (Bearer of Treasure) is the bountiful goddess, the giver of wealth, abundance, and prosperity. As a Buddhist counterpart of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, Vasundhara’s attributes in her six arms symbolize her dual role as provider of abundance and wealth as well as the embodiment of the enlightened state. Vasundhara also has an alternate function in the Newar community. Since the secret “inner” shrines of the transcendental Buddhist deities Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi are only open to those who have received tantric initiation, Vasundhara serves as the exoteric “double,” or public face, of Vajravarahi, the esoteric goddess (yogini) housed in the restricted shrine. Thus, her aspects of the bountiful giver of wealth and transcendent wisdom are accessible to all who worship Vasundhara.
Vasundhara is crowned and wears elegant gem-encrusted jewelry. She sits in a relaxed posture (lalita asana) with her right leg pendant and supported by the pericarp of a lotus flower (karnika). Her lower right hand is held in the gesture of charity (varada mudra). Her middle right hand holds a sheath of jewels (ratna manjari). Her upper right hand is raised with an open-palm gesture that pays homage to the Buddha (tathagata vandana). Her lower left hand holds an auspicious water pot. Her middle left hand holds a sheaf of grain (dhanya manjari). Her upper left hand carries a manuscript of the Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom). The sacred text and Buddha-adoring gesture demonstrate Vasundhara’s identification with Prajnaparamita, as the “mother of all Buddhas.”
- Selected Bibliography
- Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
- Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.
