The deity represented here is Guanyin, probably Amitabha. Guanyin is a popular deity who gradually metamorphosised from a male to a female deity, corresponding with her role as the Bodhisattva of Compassion. In China, she is known as the "Goddess of Mercy".Amitabha is a buddha who was a Bodhisattva in origin. In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva, a Sanskrit term, refers to one who has achieved salvation but chooses to forgo entering nirvana out of compassion for the suffering of others.
