Chunda, Goddess of Wisdom

This 9th-century bronze from Central Java depicts Chunda, a Buddhist goddess of eternal wisdom. She appears with sixteen arms holding symbolic implements: an axe, discus, conch, water vessel, palm-leaf book, rosary, lotus, and sword, among others. Two hands make the dharmachakra mudra (turning the wheel of Buddhist teaching). The multiple arms indicate the popularity of esoteric Buddhism in Indonesia from the late 800s.

Each implement carries specific meaning: the lotus represents purity, the book references the Cundadharini text, the sword represents wisdom cutting through ignorance. Central Java experienced a Buddhist flowering from the late 700s to early 900s, the same era that produced Borobudur. Chunda worship also became popular in north India during the Pala Empire. The piece is at the Art Institute of Chicago.