Avalokiteshvara is one of the most beloved deities in Mahayana Buddhism. In this depiction, the bodhisattva appears in his eleven-headed form. Ten of the heads represent stages on the path to enlightenment, while the eleventh, crowning head is that of Amitabha (or Amitayus), Avalokiteshvara’s spiritual genesis.

There are numerous legends about the origin of this form of Avalokiteshvara. In one version, Avalokiteshvara vowed that he would not enter nirvana until he had first helped all sentient beings enter the Pure Land of Amitayus (Sukhavati). He descended into hell, converted the souls, and led them personally to Sukhavati. Yet, for every soul he saved, another descended into hell to take its place. He was so overwhelmed with this Sisyphean task that he gave up on his vow. Overcome by despair, his head shattered into a thousand pieces. Moved by Avalokiteshvara’s compassion, Amitabha reassembled the fragments into ten heads and placed his own atop them. He encouraged Avalokiteshvara to continue his mission, assuring him there were other ways to save sentient beings. To assist him, Mahakala - the wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara - came into existence to battle negative forces with compassion and remove obstacles to enlightenment. Mahakala’s head is the tenth in the sequence, just below Amitabha’s at the top.