Mahakala: Panjarnata, 3 Iconographic Topics

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Three Iconographic Topics | Panjarnata Iconography

Three Iconographic Topics:
--- Iconographic Details (textual description/iconography)
--- Non-iconographic Details (stylistic interpretation/art history)
--- Symbolic Meanings (religious context)
- Textual Description (below)

Video: Panjarnata Mahakala Iconography

Iconographic Details: (figure & attributes/Text based)
- Male
- One face, two arms
- Black colour
- Wrathful appearance
- Holding a knife & skullcup, gandhi staff
- Wrathful Ornaments
- Upright posture, slightly crouching, sun disc, lotus seat
- Circle of fire
- Best Examples
- Masterworks

Non-iconographic Details: (stylistic interpretation/art history)
- Body proportions
- Iconometric measurements
- Design of ornaments
- Design & colour of garments
- Angle of the head
- Circle of fire
- Outer halo type & colour
- Others...

Symbolic Meanings: (religious context)
- Figure
- Attributes
- Adornments
- Supports

---

Textual Examples:

'The Great Vajra Mahakala, blazing, with one face, two hands, in the right a curved knife and left a skullcup filled with blood, held above and below the heart. Held across the middle of the two arms is the 'Gandhi of Emanation;' with three eyes, bared fangs, yellow hair flowing upward, a crown of five dry human skulls and a necklace of fifty fresh, blood-dripping. [He is] adorned with six bone ornaments and snakes, with a lower garment of tiger skin, flowing with pennants and streamers of various silks; dwarfish and thick, in a posture standing above a corpse.' (Konchog Lhundrub, 1497-1557).

[70] Shri Mahakala.
'Shri Vajra Mahakala with one face and two hands. The right [hand] holds a curved knife. The left holds a skullcup at the heart. Having bared fangs and three eyes. A crown of five dry human skulls and a necklace of fifty fresh [heads]. Adorned with the six bone ornaments and snakes. Wearing a lower garment of tiger skin. [and having] a very charismatic, short and stocky body. Standing in the middle of a flaming mountain of fire.' (Edited version of the Bari Gyatsa. Konchog Lhundrub, 1497-1557).

Jeff Watt 7-2023

(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).