Avalokiteshvara is Lord of Compassion according to the Mahayana Buddhism in the Himalaya's. He enjoys considerable veneration. Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva, a potential Buddha who has postponed his own salvation in order to give help to all other living beings. Avalokiteshvara is the Saviour of Mankind of the current epoch between the demise of the historical Buddha to the advent of Maitreya, his successor. Avalokiteshvara stands upon a pedestal of piled up lotuses and is surrounded by a halo. His eleven heads and eight arms reflect his omniscience and all-embracing activities. The top-most head represents his inherent Buddha qualities, and the head beneath the one on the top refers to his immeasurable force. In front of his chest he holds up a jewel in an attitude of worship. The jewel fullfills all wishes. With his econd reight hand he makes a gesture of magnanimity, the varadamudra. The water jar held in another hand and the antelope skin over his left shoulder are both signs of the ascetic aspect of his personality.