Prelims 1997 · archive
MediumIn Mahayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was also known as:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Padmapani
Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, is shown holding a lotus and is therefore called Padmapani, the lotus-bearer.
- ✓ (c) Padmapani means 'lotus in hand', the epithet of Avalokitesvara.
- ✗ (a) Vajrapani holds the thunderbolt (vajra) and is a separate bodhisattva.
- ✗ (b) Manjusri is the bodhisattva of wisdom.
Remember · Avalokitesvara = Padmapani (lotus-bearer); Vajrapani holds the vajra.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- Vajrapani, Encyclopaedia Britannica ↗ · reference work “the lotus-bearing bodhisattva of compassion, Padmapāṇi”
- NCERT Class 11 · An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 4 “The attendant figures are identified as the images of the Padmapani and Vajrapani Boddhisattvas as one holds a lotus and the other a vajra (thunderbolt).”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 1997, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 1997: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·