The Wrathful Protector Mahakala: Folio from a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom)

India, Bihar or West Bengal

Not on view

This manuscript painting does not illustrate the adjacent doctrinal text but instead brings auspiciousness and acts to protect the collected body of Buddhist writings.

The Wrathful Protector Mahakala
As Avalokiteshvara’s ferocious manifestation, Mahakala (The Great Black One) rids the world of corruption and protects the monastic community as well as the Buddha’s teachings (the dharma). In this early depiction, he is surrounded by a flaming halo and wears a garland of severed heads

The Wrathful Protector Mahakala: Folio from a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), Ink and color on palm leaf, India, Bihar or West Bengal

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The Wrathful Protector Mahakala: Folio from a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), Ink and color on palm leaf, India, Bihar or West Bengal
The Wrathful Protector Mahakala: Folio from a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), Ink and color on palm leaf, India, Bihar or West Bengal
The Wrathful Protector Mahakala: Folio from a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), Ink and color on palm leaf, India, Bihar or West Bengal

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