Item: Mahakala (Buddhist Protector) - Chaturbhuja (Four-hands)
| Origin Location | Bhutan |
|---|---|
| Date Range | 1800 - 1899 |
| Material | Ground Mineral Pigment, Black Background on Cotton |
| Collection | Rubin Museum of Art |
| Catalogue # | acc.# F1998.14.1 |
Classification: Deity
Appearance: Wrathful
Gender: Male
Summary: This form of Mahakala can be either a protector deity (dharmapala) or a meditational deity (ishtadevata).
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 Buddha Shakyamuni with Padmasambhava on the left and the tutelary deity Heruka Chakrasamvara on the right. At the middle left is a lama wearing monastic robes and a pandita hat; below that the Raven-Headed Mahakala (Tib.: gon po cha rog dong chen). At the right is Shabdrung Ngagwang Namgyal with the wrathful female protectress Shri Devi (Tib.: pal den Lha mo) riding a bay mule below. At the lower center is Vaishravana, the Direction King of the North with the mountain goddess Tseringma directly below. Various mountain deities indigenous to Bhutan surround both figures. A wrathful wealth deity, Machig Pel Lhamo, decorates the painted brocade-like frame.
Jeff Watt 4-2000
Textile: Brocade Mounts (Examples)
Tradition: Kagyu, Enlightened Protectors
Textile: Painted Brocades
Mahakala: Chaturbhuja, Four-hands (Betapala)
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Bhutan
Region: Bhutan, Paintings
Mahakala: Chaturbhuja, Four-hands Main Page
Mahakala (Kagyu)
Region: Bhutan, Protectors
Mahakala - Chaturbhuja (with Consort)