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

ABS 127

 Code: ABS 127

  Country: Tibet

  Style: Late Pala Style

  Date: 1200 - 1300

  Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 5.1 x 9.4 x 4.3

  Materials: Brass

Sita Achala

Kneeling on his left knee on a double lotus pedestal, the deity brandishes a sword with his right hand and holds a noose in his left hand performing the threatening gesture. Of white colour, he has three eyes, protruding fangs covering his lower lip, and he is adorned with the royal ornament of the divine manifestation.

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.

Achala is particularly important in Japanese Tantric Buddhism. In Tibet, along with Shakyamuni Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, and Tara, he belongs to a group of four deities especially worshipped in the Kadam school.

This brass statue shows strong Indian Pala style influences. It is decorated with traces of cold gilding on the neck and face, pigments on the hair and belt buckle, and with engraved floral pattern on the lower garment. The deity’s long sash hangs to the ground, covering the front part of the lotus.