Kings: Indian Kings Main Page
King & King Appearance Main PageSubjects, Topics & Types:
- Indian Kings Description
- Four Guardian Kings
- Prince Siddharta (Shakyamuni Buddha Life Story)
- Indrabhuti (Lineage Depictions & Eighty-four Mahasiddhas)
- Konchog Bang (Panchen Lama Pre-incarnations)
- Lha'i Gyalpo (Dalai Lama Pre-incarnation)
- Kadam Legbam Text (Kings in the Previous Life Stories of Dromton)
- Kings Outline Page
- Confusions
- Others....
Videos:
- Kings in Himalayan Art: Part 1
- Kings in Himalayan Art: Part 2
- Kubera, Who Am I?
Indian kings can generally only be distinguished from Tibetan kings by inscription on a sculpture or by context in a painting. Narrative stories are the primary source for king depictions along with the Mani Kabum, Kadam Legbam and the brief hagiographies of a few of the mahasiddhas from the text of Abhayadatta (Abhayakara Gupta).
'King Appearance' in Himalayan art is a specific type of figurative form. The principal characteristics are the face often with a stern look achieved by upturned eyebrows accompanied by a mustache and goatee. The clothing is heavy and layered with multiple colours, a cloth head covering or hat sometimes with a small jeweled crown, and boots on the feet. They can hold any number of objects in their hands. (See King & King Appearance Main Page).
Jeff Watt 10-2012 [updated 3-2020]
(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).
