Amitabha on a Peacock, Wuyou Temple, Leshan, Sichuan, China

 

I once, quite mistakenly, identified this figure as Weituo, who as Skanda can sometimes be seen riding a peacock.

Them again, sources say the 500 Arhats' Hall at Wuyou Temple in Leshan, Sichuan, where I took this photo, enshrines a figure of the Wisdom King Mahamayuri (Kǒngquè Míngwáng, 孔雀明王). But I was curious, because she is usually portrayed as a feminine Bodhisattva, and this is clearly a male Buddha.

So when I posted this on Reddit, I asked for help, and some Redditors kindly pointed out the fact that Amitabha can indeed be seen on a peacock vahana (vehicle).

Here's an example; although the identification is not rock-solid, there are many more such figures where the Buddha is identified as Amitabha.

This solves the mystery of who we're looking at here, but the question of whether someone identified this figure as Mahamayuri, or whether there is a legit figure f that "Wisdom King" elsewhere in the hall, remains unanswered.

Posted to Reddit et al, March 2, 2025