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Thailand / Siam: Bronze standing image of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Prakhon Chai, c. 750-850 CE

Thailand / Siam: Bronze standing image of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Prakhon Chai, c. 750-850 CE

Prakhon Chai is a district (Amphoe) in the southern part of Buriram Province, northeastern Thailand.

In 1964, artwork depicting Buddhist figures, including Avalokitesvara, was discovered in Prakhon Chai. Originating from the Pre-Angkor period, these figures reflect traditional Indian styles, as passed down through the Cambodian tradition of the Chenla Kingdom.

Avalokiteśvara ('Lord who looks down') is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Portrayed in different cultures as either male or female, Avalokiteśvara is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism, as well as unofficially in Theravada Buddhism.

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