Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara 8th-early 9th century Southern Thailand or Sumatra This four-armed Avalokiteshvara exemplifies the finest qualities associated with the pan-Asian cult of the savior bodhisattva. Through its grace and humanism, the work embodies the qualities of compassion central to Buddhist ethics. It may have been made in Sumatra or in the Malay Peninsula, regions linked by commercial activity in which religious imagery could readily circulate. Chinese pilgrim sources tell of major monasteries that prospered in both areas.cat. no. 158. Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Southern Thailand or Sumatra. 8th-early 9th century. Copper alloy. Sculpture