Shakra Enthroned, with a Deva and Generals: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

Shakra Enthroned, with a Deva and Generals: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This supreme deity, four-armed and holding his identifying attributes—an elephant goad and a double-ended thunderbolt (vajra)—is named in the Kalpasutra as Shakra and is said to reside in the most elevated heaven. Here, he is seen in his council chamber engaged with a lesser divinity (a crowned deva) and two generals of his court.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Shakra Enthroned, with a Deva and Generals: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptShakra Enthroned, with a Deva and Generals: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptShakra Enthroned, with a Deva and Generals: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptShakra Enthroned, with a Deva and Generals: Folio from a Kalpasutra ManuscriptShakra Enthroned, with a Deva and Generals: Folio from a Kalpasutra Manuscript

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.