Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Mahakala (Buddhist Protector) - Chaturbhuja (Four-hands)

མ་ཧཱ་ཀཱ་ལ། ནག་པོ་ཆེན་པོ། 玛哈嘎拉
(item no. 90133)
Origin Location Tibet
Date Range 1300 - 1399
Lineages Kagyu and Buddhist
Material Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection Private
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Deity

Appearance: Wrathful

Gender: Male

Summary: This form of Mahakala can be either a protector deity (dharmapala) or a meditational deity (ishtadevata).

Interpretation / Description

Chaturbhuja, Mahakala (Tibetan: gon po, chag shi pa. English: the Great Black One with Four Hands). The principal protector of the Chakrasamvara class of Tantras; from the lineage of Arya Nagarjuna.

Sanskrit: Chaturbhuja Tibetan: Chag shi pa

The teachers at the top left are Nagarjuna, Abhayakara Gupta and Gva Lotsawa. The three on the right side are Lhaje, Choje and Onpo. It is unclear as to which Onpo Lama the inscription is referring to. The first well known teacher with this title is Kuyalwa (Onpo) Rinchen Gonpo (1191-1236, TBRC P1784]).

Jeff Watt 3-2001

Secondary Images
Related Items
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Buddhist Protectors: Enlightened
Collection: Private 1
Buddhist Protector: Mahakala Main Page
Mahakala: Chaturbhuja (Painting Masterworks)
Mahakala: Chaturbhuja, Four-hands Main Page
Mahakala (Kagyu)
Mahakala - Chaturbhuja (Single Form)