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This bronze sculpture counts among the best representations of this deity known, striking an elegant balance between the tower of heads, four-armed human torso, and coiled snake body. It demonstrates the continuing importance of Nepalese craftsmanship in Tibet, as famously represented by the sculptures of Densatil Monastery in the Tsang region, central Tibet, to which this sculpture has been attributed.
Rahula
OriginTibet
Date15th century
Dimensions12 3/8 × 6 × 10 in.
MediumGilt copper alloy
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2003.7.2
Himalayan Art Resources Number65206
DescriptionRahula is an Indian cosmological deity, a personification of eclipses, and an important protector deity of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. Here he is shown with nine heads, four arms, and the lower body of a coiled snake adorned with eyes. His ninth head on the top center of the stack is a raven and a tiny figure of the bodhisattva Vajrapani stands on it. Vajrapani serves as a reminder to the worldly deity that he is still being overseen by an enlightened power. Rahula is considered extremely terrifying and is believed to cause strokes in those who perform rituals incorrectly. This bronze sculpture counts among the best representations of this deity known, striking an elegant balance between the tower of heads, four-armed human torso, and coiled snake body. It demonstrates the continuing importance of Nepalese craftsmanship in Tibet, as famously represented by the sculptures of Densatil Monastery in the Tsang region, central Tibet, to which this sculpture has been attributed.
Not on view
19th century
18th century
late 19th century
18th century
19th century
1736–1795
15th century
15th century
14th or 16th - 17th century
13th century
19th century
19th century