Himalayan Art Resources

Mahakala: White Figures

Mahakala Main Page

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Sita Shadbhuja Mahakala (Shangpa)
- Sita Chaturmukha Mahakala
- Sita Panjarnata Mahakala
- Sita Shadbhuja Mahakala (Khedrub)
- Five Mahakala of the Buddha Families
- Confusions: Gauri & Marajit
- Others...

Mahakala is a male figure, wrathful in appearance, and functions either as a protector deity or a meditational deity. Mahakala is most commonly depicted in a black or blue/black appearance. There are however a number of traditions of Mahakala in a white (sita) appearance. The most well known of these forms is the Sita Mahakala of the Shangpa Kagyu tradition with one face and six hands. The white form serves as a branch practice and functions as a wealth deity. He belongs to a larger system of six-armed Mahakala known as 'Removing All Obstacles.' The Khedrub tradition form of the deity is based on the Shangpa tradition with the only difference being an added consort to the form of White Mahakala.

White Chaturmukha along with White Panjarnata Mahakala are both branch practices and function as long-life deities from their respective larger cycles of practice.

Jeff Watt 6-2020

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