This exquisitely crafted gilded repoussé plaque depicts a special birthday celebration common in the Kathmandu Valley, known as the Bhimaratha (Chariot) Ritual. Hindus and Buddhists practice this ritual when an elder reaches the age of 77. The festivities include the elder riding through the city on a chariot and the performance of religious services in front of a sacred stupa.
To commemorate the birthday, Buddhists are also required to commission the construction of a stupa. If they are unable to build a full-size stupa, the family can sponsor a small three-dimensional or hammered metal sculpture or a painting of a stupa, as in this example. The presence of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, at middle left and a monkey at the bottom left identify this stupa as likely representing a specific site, the famous Swayambhu Stupa of Kathmandu.
Details
- Title : Ushnisavijaya and the Celebration of Old Age (Bhimaratha Ritual)
- Year : 18th Century
- Classification : Statue
- Medium : Copper gilded
- Dimension : No given
- Accession No : C2006.66.63, 700095
- Country/ Geo-location : Kasthamandapa, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Culture : Hindu and Buddhist
- Collection : The Rubin Museum of Art
- Credit Line : Shelley and Donald Rubin
- Acquisition Method : Gift
- Status : In storage