The Buddhist deity Chintamani Lokeshvara Lokeshvara, is a Bodhisattva who fulfils all the physical and spiritual needs of his devotees. He is also considered to be a form of Avalokiteshvara. This form of the deity is popular in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Mahayana sect of Buddhism or the Great Path, which evolved around the birth of Christ, profoundly influenced Buddhist art as it encouraged personal faith and popularized the fundamental concept of a bodhisattva. The term bodhisattva generally describes a being who has all the qualifications of attaining Buddhahood but does not enter into the state so that he can remain to help the less fortunate. This concept theoretically opened the way for the creation of numerous bodhisattvas. As Buddhism travelled out of India the sculptural manifestations of Buddha and the Bodhisattvas spread and eventually took on the local iconographic features.

The artefact is a rectangular wooden plaque, which is intricately carved and studded with gems of all shapes and sizes. Emphasizing the deity’s wealth and abundance, he stands in a sharply defined thrice-bent or tribhanga posture, with the left leg behind the right. His right hand is held near the navel in the sharanagamana gesture which is a gesture of giving refuge. In his left hand he holds a branch of a fabulous tree which bears fruits. This tree appears to be the Kalpvriksha, the wish-fulfilling tree, that yields a myriad of fruits flowers. These fruits ssemerald, coral, ruby, spinel, topaz, beryl, onyx, turquoise, lapis lazuli, malachite, amethyst, beryl, rose quartz, ivory, etc. all in a gold or silver inlay. The leaves of the tree are carefully crafted in a variety of designs. Chintamani is flanked by his attendants on the sides.

Bejeweled hanging plaques like these are supposed to be quite common in household shrines in Nepal. The variations of such plaques have Hindu gods and goddesses such as Vishnu and Lakshmi.

In Nepal Chintamani Lokeshwar appears among the 108 manifestations of Avalokiteshvara. As a wish–fulfilling deity he embodies the ultimate altruistic compassion that fulfills all human desires, both spiritual and mundane.