Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Mahakala (Buddhist Protector) - Chaturbhuja (Four-hands)

མ་ཧཱ་ཀཱ་ལ། ནག་པོ་ཆེན་པོ། 玛哈嘎拉
(item no. 115)
Origin Location Bhutan
Date Range 1800 - 1899
Material Black Background on Cotton
Collection Rubin Museum of Art
Catalogue # acc.# P1994.16.3
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Deity

Appearance: Wrathful

Gender: Male

Summary: This form of Mahakala can be either a protector deity (dharmapala) or a meditational deity (ishtadevata).

Interpretation / Description

Chaturbhuja Vajra Nata Mahakala (Tibetan: gon po chag shi pa, dor je nag po chen po, English: The Great Black Vajra Lord with Four Hands) embracing the consort.

Sanskrit: Chaturbhuja Tibetan: Chag shi pa

At the top center is the tutelary deity Heruka Chakrasamvara with Shabdrung Ngagwang Namgyal on the left and the Reverend Sherab Sengge on the right. At the middle right is the Raven-Headed Mahakala (Tib.: gon po cha rog dong chen) and Ekajati with one eye and one tooth on the left. At the bottom center is the great female protector Shri Devi with one face and four hands riding atop a mule.

Jeff Watt 4-2000

Related Items
Publications
Publication: Worlds of Transformation

Thematic Sets
Mahakala: Chaturbhuja, Four-hands (Betapala)
Mahakala: Chaturbhuja, Four-hands Main Page
Mahakala (Kagyu)
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Bhutan
Region: Bhutan, Protectors
Region: Bhutan, Paintings
Mahakala - Chaturbhuja (with Consort)