A padmapitha is a Buddhist and Hindu pedestal, throne or altar, upon which the image of a deity sits. The seat is in the form of a single or double lotus each with sixteen petals, an auspicious number. It symbolizes the mother’s lap, the origin of all life. It is one of the more frequently used Buddhist thrones, especially for calm or peaceful deities such as Guanyin. It also has auspicious references, depending different lotus parts, that symbolize fertility, the birth of sons, longevity, high rank, wealth, honor and peace.
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Guanyin sits on an elaborate lotus throne held up by 9 lotuses, 8 with long stem and 1 with flat leaves. Only enlightened beings sit on a lotus, the Buddhist symbol of purity and the potential for all beings to achieve enlightenment and a 5-lobed crown reflecting her stature as Buddhist royalty,
This Tibetan Repoussé image presents various symbols of the Enlightenment of the Shakyamuni-Buddha. He sits within a trefoil arch on a lotus base (padmapitha) under the bodhi tree in bhumisparsha mudra (earth witnessing or hand touching position) symbolizing the moment of his enlightenment legs bent in (padmasana). The detailed trefoil arch surrounding the Buddha’s head…
This Guanyin image was probably one of a pair of images along with the Taoist Queen Mother of the West (16206A-WACK) placed together on a community, local temple or home altar. Created by the same local artisan, they are provincial rather than imperial style having a humble, unadorned and simple rendering, seated on backless thrones, hands covered by a ritual cloth, uncharacteristic of Guanyin but common for Taoist goddesses. Both wear layered robes and a high pointed crown – the Queen Mother’s centered by a phoenix and Guanyin’s by a flower surrounded by symbolic aureole of radiating light. Both have soft blissful smiles with eyes cast slightly downwards to engage their devotees. Initially covered in bright polychrome colors, there are traces of surviving red, yellow, green, brown and black.
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