Mahakala Panjarnatha – “Protector of the pavilion”
See it in the Museum
India and Nepal
Orientation 3
Wall object 10
ABP 071
Code: ABP 071
Country: Tibet (central)
Style: Nepalese School
Date: 1350 - 1450
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 46 x 51,5
Materials: Distemper on cotton
Pañjaranata Mahakala (Gurgyi Gönpo) – “Protector of the Pavillion”
This painting depicts a famous aspect of the protective deity Mahakala, “The Great Black Protector of the Pavillion” (Gurgyi Gönpo in Tibetan). Black-skinned with coarse limbs, he displays all the characteristics of wrathful deities. Richly adorned with macabre ornaments, a silk scarf swirls around him. His hands hold the curved blade and blood-filled skull cup, and a staff rests in the crook of his arms. He looks like a corpulent dwarf crouching over a corpse. The painting represents him in a swirling blaze of fire in the midst of charnel grounds, surrounded by his four main assistants. His retinue is in the lower register, while above him are the masters of the transmission lineage. This specific form of Mahakala is attached to the yidam Hevajra, primarily revered by the Sakya school
This painting depicts a famous aspect of the protective deity Mahakala, “The Great Black Protector of the Pavillion” (Gurgyi Gönpo in Tibetan). Black-skinned with coarse limbs, he displays all the characteristics of wrathful deities. Richly adorned with macabre ornaments, a silk scarf swirls around him. His hands hold the curved blade and blood-filled skull cup, and a staff rests in the crook of his arms. He looks like a corpulent dwarf crouching over a corpse. The painting represents him in a swirling blaze of fire in the midst of charnel grounds, surrounded by his four main assistants. His retinue is in the lower register, while above him are the masters of the transmission lineage. This specific form of Mahakala is attached to the yidam Hevajra, primarily revered by the Sakya school