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Source Description
The Buddhist deity Kshetrapala, whose name means "protector ('pala') of the field ('kshetra')," wards off dangerous and evil forces. His mouth releases a great howl, its volume amplified by the roar of the bear he rides. As he lifts his index finger in a threatening gesture, he holds the handle of a flaying knife (the curved blade of which is now missing) and a skull bowl filled with the blood and flesh of his enemies. In Tibetan Buddhist traditions, he presides over Shitavana ("cool grove"), a charnel ground near the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, Bodhgaya. An important member of the retinue of six-armed Mahakala (a prominent protector of Buddhist teachings), Kshetrapala usually appears within an assemblage of wrathful protectors. In rituals performed to keep enemies at bay, however, he occasionally serves as the focus of worship.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
34044
label
Protector Deity Kshetrapala
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
8
Source metadata
id
34044
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Protector Deity Kshetrapala
description
The Buddhist deity Kshetrapala, whose name means "protector ('pala') of the field ('kshetra')," wards off dangerous and evil forces. His mouth releases a great howl, its volume amplified by the roar of the bear he rides. As he lifts his index finger in a threatening gesture, he holds the handle of a flaying knife (the curved blade of which is now missing) and a skull bowl filled with the blood and flesh of his enemies. In Tibetan Buddhist traditions, he presides over Shitavana ("cool grove"), a charnel ground near the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, Bodhgaya. An important member of the retinue of six-armed Mahakala (a prominent protector of Buddhist teachings), Kshetrapala usually appears within an assemblage of wrathful protectors. In rituals performed to keep enemies at bay, however, he occasionally serves as the focus of worship.
provenance
Nahar Gallery, Calcutta, India; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, August 1984; given to Walters Art Museum, 2013.
date
15th century
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
sculpture (visual works)
imageCount
8
pageCount
8
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
18.1
height
14.8
depth
8.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 7 1/8 × W: 5 13/16 × D: 3 3/8 in. (18.1 × 14.8 × 8.5 cm); H with Base: 8 1/8 × W: 6 1/4 × D: 3 3/8 in. (20.7 × 15.8 × 8.5 cm); Base H: 1 × W: 2 15/16 × D: 5 7/16 in. (2.6 × 7.4 × 13.8 cm).
Source extras
med
gilded copper alloy with traces of paint
creator_ids
6868
collection_ids
INT
exhibition_ids
2071
3456
Page inventory
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