Manjushri

Manjushri is a beautiful male youth, a golden orange in colour, who represents wisdom. He delicately holds a flaming sword above his head that cuts through the roots of confusion and spiritual delusion, and his left hand holds a book which represents cultural and knowledge. (Sometimes the book is resting on a lotus by his left shoulder and the left hand holds the stem of the lotus.) Nepalese legends consider Manjushri the creator of the Kathmandu Valley, the valley was once a large lake which Manjushri drained by slashing a gorge with his sword, leaving a very fertile valley. For the Tibetans, Manjushri is associated with the arts and culture, as well as spiritual wisdom.