Buddhist deity of Amitabha

Title
Buddhist deity of Amitabha
Year/Period
1865 or 1925
Region
China
Dimension
Object size: L45.5 x W31cm
Accession No.
1994-00433
Credit Line
Given by Mr Tan Khiang Khoo

The deity represented here is Guanyin, probably Amitabha. Guanyin is a popular deity who gradually metamorphosised from a male to a female deity, corresponding with her role as the Bodhisattva of Compassion. In China, she is known as the "Goddess of Mercy".Amitabha is a buddha who was a Bodhisattva in origin. In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva, a Sanskrit term, refers to one who has achieved salvation but chooses to forgo entering nirvana out of compassion for the suffering of others.