Buddhist Protectress Mahapratisara
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Eight-armed Mahapratisara, a deified magic spell (dharani), is one of myriad Esoteric Buddhist deities that emerged in India during the eighth century as a result of Vajrayana practices. She is represented both as an independent deity and as a member of the Pancaraksa, a group of five spell-goddesses who personified magic formulas for granting longevity and protecting villages. She sits in a yogic mediation posture and displays weapons employed in the Buddhist notion of “cutting away illusions.” There is evidence of a network of monasteries in western Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula, where Esoteric Buddhism was favored.
cat. no. 159
cat. no. 159
Artwork Details
- Title: Buddhist Protectress Mahapratisara
- Period: Shrivijayan style
- Date: 9th century
- Culture: Western Indonesia
- Medium: Copper Alloy
- Dimensions: H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
Mount: H. 3/4 in. (1.9 cm); W. 5 in. (12.7 cm); D. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm) - Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.84
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art