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ARCHITECTURE & ICONOGRAPHY

 

 

 

  six-fingered Buddha image

 

Myanmar

The Buddha image at the eastern hall of the Soon Oo Pon Nya Shin Pagoda (fig.) in Sagaing, is depicted in the bhumisparsa pose. On close inspection, it can be noticed that the image's left hand, which is resting in his lap with the palm upward, actually has six fingers, representing the six senses in Buddhism, i.e. the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. There are several Buddha images worldwide that have been depicted with six fingers.

 

Amongst those are: the right hand, touching the earth, of an image in the maravijaya pose at the Phra Pathom Chedi in Thailand (fig.), and the left hand with the fingers pointing downward of an image with a varada mudra in the Huang Fu Gong Cave at the Longmen Grottoes (fig.) in China.

 

  six-fingered Buddha image

 

Additionally, Wat Yai Suwannaram in Thailand's Phetchaburi Province has a Buddha image with six toes for the same reason (fig.).

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