Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Buddhist Protectress Mahapratisara
Not on view
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
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.