Mahakala, Protector of the Tent

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This black-ground painting is a visualization image of Mahakala as Panjarantha, the enlightened protector of Buddhism. He tramples a male corpse beneath his feet and displays a flaying knife (kartrika) in his right hand and a skull cup (kapala) in his left, implements for cutting through delusions and ignorance. A ritual wand (gandi) is balanced in the crooks of his arms. Panjaranatha is understood as the “original” Mahakala from which all other manifestations emanate. Several of the latter, along with the deity’s associates, surround him, including Brahmarupa (the “lesser Mahakala,” at left), blowing a thighbone trumpet, and Palden Lhamo (Mahakala’s consort), riding her mule. In the upper corners are two hierarchs of the Sakya lineage, over which Mahakala presides as their principal protector, and below his fearful retinue dances macabrely.

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