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Photography by Bruce M. White. The Rubin Museum of Art. 2009.
Ushnisavijaya and the Celebration of Old Age (Bhimaratha Ritual)
Photography by Bruce M. White. The Rubin Museum of Art. 2009.
Photography by Bruce M. White. The Rubin Museum of Art. 2009.

Ushnisavijaya and the Celebration of Old Age (Bhimaratha Ritual)

OriginKathmandu, Nepal
DateDated by inscription 1775
Dimensions17 1/2 × 11 1/8 × 3 5/8 in.
MediumCopper; Technique: Repoussé
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin
Object numberC2006.66.63
Himalayan Art Resources Number700095
DescriptionThis exquisitely crafted gilded répoussé plaque depicts a special birthday celebration common to the Kathmandu Valley known as the Chariot Ritual. It is practiced by both Hindus and Buddhists when an elder reaches the age of seventy-seven. The festivities include the elder riding through the city on a chariot accompanied by the performance of various religious services in front of a sacred stupa.

To commemorate the birthday, Buddhists are also required to commission the construction of a stupa. However, if unable to build a full-size stupa, the family can sponsor a small three-dimensional or hammered metal sculpture or a painting of a stupa, of which this is an example. The presence of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, at middle left and a monkey at the bottom left identify this stupa as likely representing a specific site, the famous Swayambhu Stupa of Kathmandu. A dedication inscription along the base dates the work to 1776.
Not on view