Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Rahula (Buddhist Protector)

སྒྲ་གཅན་འཛིན། སྲུང་མ། 罗护罗(护法)
(item no. 65206)
Origin Location Tibet
Date Range 1400 - 1499
Lineages Nyingma
Size 31.12cm (12.25in) high
Material Bronze
Collection Rubin Museum of Art
Catalogue # acc. #C2003.7.2
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Deity

Interpretation / Description

Rahula: worldly protector deity of the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism based on the Indian god Rahu who represents the phenomenon of the astrological eclipse. (See the Rahula Main Page and Outline Page).

"From a fierce E [syllable] in a realm equal to space, the Lord arises out of wrathful activity, smoky, with nine heads, four hands and a thousand blazing eyes; homage to the Great Rahula - Protector of the Teachings." (Nyingma liturgical verse).

Rahula is wrathful in appearance, with nine heads and a giant face on the belly. It is likely that the depiction of this Buddhist protector is a Tibetan creation and not linked to any Sanskrit literature or Indian religious tradition.

Jeff Watt 11-2011

Secondary Images
Related Items
Publications
Publication: Selection of Works - Sculpture (RMA)

Thematic Sets
Buddhist Worldly Protector: Rahula (Masterworks)
Subject: Himalayan Art Number Sets
Subject: Eyes in Himalayan Art
Artist: Sonam Gyaltsen & Atelier (Sculpture)
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Info
Tradition: Nyingma Protectors
Subject: Protector Deities (Traditions)
Subject: Three Treasure Protectors
Buddhist Deity: Rahula (Sculpture)
Subject: Masterworks (Male Deity Protectors, 男性护法神, སྲུང་མའི་ཚོགས། [ཕོ་])
Buddhist Worldly Protector: Rahula Iconography
Exhibition: Mandalas, Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet (Sculpture)
Tibet: Densatil (Protectors)
Tibet: Densatil (Masterworks)
Buddhist Protectors, Worldly Deities (Lokapala)
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Sculpture (Gallery 1)
Subject: Faces of Deities (Numbers)
Collection of RMA: Best of Collection (Sculpture)
Artist: Sonam Gyaltsen & Atelier (RMA)
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Sculpture Main Page
Nyingma: Sculpture Masterworks Page
Buddhist Protectors: Worldly (Nyingma)
Buddhist Worldly Protector: Rahula Main Page
Collection of RMA: Best of Collection 2
Collection of RMA: Selected Sculpture
Tibet: Densatil Monastery Style Sculpture
Subject: Three Eyed Deities
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Densatil Sculpture