On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Rahula

Tibet

Not on view

Rahula is a fearsome god in Indo-Tibetan astrology who causes eclipses by devouring the sun, moon, and planets. His nine heads correspond to the nine planets and to different calamitous events like hailstorms. Rahula’s imagery conflates features of Indic celestial deities: he has a serpent’s tail like the comet divinity Ketu and a body covered with a thousand eyes like Indra, lord of storms. The style of this sculpture resembles the renowned metalwork of the Densatil monastery.

Rahula, Gilt copper alloy, turquoise, and coral, Tibet

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Rahula, Gilt copper alloy, turquoise, and coral, Tibet
Rahula, Gilt copper alloy, turquoise, and coral, Tibet
Rahula, Gilt copper alloy, turquoise, and coral, Tibet
Rahula, Gilt copper alloy, turquoise, and coral, Tibet

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.