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Source Description
The Buddhist goddess Vasudhara bestows wealth and prosperity, and in Nepal she is worshiped as goddess of the harvest. During her festival each autumn, devotees commission mandalas like this one, with Vasudhara at the center surrounded by other deities, Buddhas, and bodhisattvas with whom she is associated. Golden in color, the six-armed Vasudhara holds clusters of grain and gems—two sources of wealth—in her two middle hands; she also holds a vase of abundance and a book, and makes the gestures of generosity (with her lower right hand) and praising the Buddha (with her upper right hand). Divinities known as "yakshas" perched above her throne carry platters with gems and pour streams of riches from large bags, motifs seen throughout the mandala.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
20151
label
Mandala of Vasudhara
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
20151
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Mandala of Vasudhara
description
The Buddhist goddess Vasudhara bestows wealth and prosperity, and in Nepal she is worshiped as goddess of the harvest. During her festival each autumn, devotees commission mandalas like this one, with Vasudhara at the center surrounded by other deities, Buddhas, and bodhisattvas with whom she is associated. Golden in color, the six-armed Vasudhara holds clusters of grain and gems—two sources of wealth—in her two middle hands; she also holds a vase of abundance and a book, and makes the gestures of generosity (with her lower right hand) and praising the Buddha (with her upper right hand). Divinities known as "yakshas" perched above her throne carry platters with gems and pour streams of riches from large bags, motifs seen throughout the mandala.
provenance
Ian Alsop, New York and Santa Fe [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, October 31, 1986, by purchase.
date
early 15th century
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
paintings
tangkas
tankas
thangkas
thankas
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
111.8
height
72
depth
6.6
dimensionsRaw
Framed H: 44 × W: 28 3/8 × D: 2 5/8 in. (111.8 × 72 × 6.6 cm)
Source extras
cul
Buddhist
med
tempera on cloth
creator_ids
15526
collection_ids
INT
exhibition_ids
2071
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
7a042adeca1ca172