Avalokiteshvara of Chaiya

The torso depicts a humanoid figure slightly inclining with a round face and eyes looking downwards. The headwear was partially lost. The figure is decorated with prakham (beads), necklaces, and phahurat (upper-arm-wear). A cloth chiang ba can be founded put on one of the shoulder, decorated with a dear-headed yajyopavit beads. == History ==

Discovery The artefact was discovered in 1905 by Damrong Rajanubhab at Wat Phra Borommathat Chaiya (or Wat Wiang, according to some sources) in Chaiya District, Surat Thani Province. According to a letter written by Narisara Nuwattiwong, the torso was founded near an outer wall to the northeast. A historian Manit Valliphodom (มานิต วัลลิโภดม) suspected unidentified boxes drawn in the temple's map, near the Phra Sila Daeng Sam Ong vihāra, from the aforementioned letter to be the discovery location. Buddhadasa wrote that once Damrong Rajanubhab noticed the torso from his seat on the elephant, he "leaped and rushed for the statue before the elephant even stopped for him" and "took the statue up by himself". Once he presented it to King Chulalongkorn in Bangkok, the King "looked [at the torso] excitedly" and "said excitedly [to Damrong]; 'What, what, Damrong.'" The torso was possibly of the latter Bodhisattva, Padmapānī; also known as Avalokiteshvara and was widely revered in Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna sects of Buddhism prevalence in the area at the time. == Association with Buddhadasa ==

'' An influential Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa is highly associated with this Avalokiteshvara torso. It is also the main symbol of his temple-park complex Suan Mokkh. In 1943, Indapañño (ordaining name of Buddhadasa) was called in to meet Damrong Rajanubhab at Varadis Palace in Bangkok to discuss about archeological findings in Chaiya. Damrong presented the Avalokiteshvara torso to him for the first time. Indapañño looked at the torso "with bemusement" as he "had never seen such beautiful [Buddharupa] like this." The beauty of the torso turned his "chit calm", as the face of the torso was "overwhelmed with compassion (mettā)." He ordered a monk Phra Kovid Khemānanda (พระโกวิท เขมานันทะ) to create a replica of the Avalokiteshvara torso to be placed in his Suan Mokkh == References ==