The inscription on the bottom of this painting states that in 1808, during the reign of Maharajadhiraja Girvan Yuddha Vikram Shah, Jesta Dhanaonta, a Newar merchant from Kathmandu, performed the ceremony of Lakshachaitya at Svayambhu. In order to gain merit, he had one hundred thousand (laksha) clay stupas (chaityas) donated to the temple. To commemorate this event he also commissioned this painting for the welfare of his family.
In the center of the painting, Dharmadhatu Vagishvara, a form of Manjushri (the Bodhisattva of Wisdom), appears among the small stupas made by the donor and his family. Shown above is the Svayambu Stupa, an important landmark in Kathmandu, Nepal, where the event took place.
Details
- Title : The laksha-chaitya ceremony at Svayambhu Stupa/ Pata
- Year : dated 1808
- Classification : Painting
- Medium : Colors on cotton
- Dimension : H. 38 1/4 in x W. 23 3/8 in, H. 97.2 cm x W. 59.4 cm (image); H. 67 3/4in x W. 35 7/8 in, H. 172 cm x W. 91.1cm (overall)
- Accession No : B61D10+
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Collection : Asian Art Museum
- Credit Line : The Avery Brundage Collection
- Status : Not on display
- Department : Himalayan Art
- Exhibition History : "The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art", LACMA, 10/5/2003-1/9/2004, Columbus Museum of Art, 2/8/2004-5/9/2004 "Buddhist Pilgrimage and Asian Art", Asia Society, 3/16/2010-6/20/2010 "Stupa," Rotation, 7/21/2014