Nila Achala – The “Blue Immovable One”
  See it in the Museum
Chapel
Orientation 2
Display 4

ABS 050

 Code: ABS 050

  Country: Tibet

  Style: Late Pala Style

  Date: 1050 - 1150

  Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 2 x 11.2 x 5.7

  Materials: Brass

Nila-Achala – The “Blue immovable One”

Standing in the heroic posture on a lotus pedestal in a blazing halo, the deity tramples on Hindu gods, brandishing a sword with his right hand and performing the threatening gesture with his left, holding a noose. Of blue complexion, he has wide opened eyes in a furious glower, biting his lower lip with his teeth in a wrathful manner. He is adorned with poisonous snakes and a small effigy of Buddha Akshobhya sits on top of his head.

Achala is a wrathful meditation deity, destroyer of delusions and protector of the Buddha’s teachings. His name literally means “The Immovable One” in Sanskrit, referring to the stability of wisdom and the immutability of Buddhahood. He is frequently represented on a rock or a mountain. His most usual manifestations can be white, blue or red.

Strongly inspired by Indian Pala aesthetic canons, this statue was probably manufactured by an Indian craftsman working in Tibet, as is evident from the design of the open worked stand that is distinctively Tibetan, and does not follow the Pala tradition.