Mahakala Panjaranatha (Protector of the Tent)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mahakala is the principal destroyer of the bonds that tie us to spiritual ignorance. Here he plunges his flaying knife into the skull cup that simmers with a flaming sea of sense organs, and in the crook of his arms he holds a baton for summoning monks to assembly.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art