{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O25021"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O25021/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AU5626/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AU5626/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AU5626","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FM1622","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FM1623","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FM1624","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2012FM1627","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O25021/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O25021","accessionNumber":"IM.10-1930","objectType":"Sculpture","titles":[{"title":"Mahakala","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"This sculpture depicts the protector Mahakala. He represents a violent and vengeful aspect of the Hindu god Shiva absorbed by Buddhism as a guardian of the faith (‘dharmapala’). \r\n\r\nHere Mahakala stands astride the prostrate figure of a corpse. His face radiates his wrathful nature. His wide eyes glare, his gaping mouth reveals fangs, and a garland of severed heads hangs above his knees. His hair is represented as flames, rising horrifically above a snake ornament. Entwined snakes also form his armlets, bracelets, anklets and sacred cord. In his four hands he carries the flesh-cutter (‘karttrka’), skull-cup (‘kapala’), rosary and ‘trisula’ and skull-headed ritual staff (‘khatvanga’). These are the signifiers of his role.\r\n\r\nTantric Buddhism generated a proliferation of deities, benign and ferocious. Both were conceived as servants of the faith. But it was the wild and angry deities, typically demonic spirits subdued by Buddhism and henceforth willing servants of the faith, who retained their wrathful countenance in order to intimidate non-believers and those hostile to Buddhism.","physicalDescription":"The powerful protector Mahakala stands squarely against a flame-edged arched background on  a defeated long-haired foe, who is also being attacked by a small animal. He carries a chopper and skull-cup; his second pair of hands holds a skull-topped trident formed like the Buddhist\r\nvajra and noose. His hair rises horrifically above a snake, and his armlets, bracelets, anklets and sacred cord are all snakes.  He is wearing heavy circular earrings and a circlet on his head with side cockades and uplifted streamers. He also has a necklace and a girdle below his waist over which spills his protruding paunch. His eyes stare fiercely with a third eye in between. He has a curling moustache over his open mouth which is fanged, and a garland of severed heads hangs down to his knees.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"basalt","id":"AAT11222"}],"techniques":[{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Porphyritic basalt","categories":[{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"},{"text":"Buddhism","id":"THES48984"},{"text":"Religion","id":"THES48900"}],"styles":[{"text":"Eastern Ganga","id":"x32305"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2006AU5626","2012FM1622","2012FM1623","2012FM1624","2012FM1627"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"17","id":"THES49859"},"free":"","case":"PL1","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Sculpture","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Odisha","id":"x29837"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"eastern"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"12th century","earliest":"1100-01-01","latest":"1200-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"104.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"13/01/2026","earliest":"2026-01-13","latest":"2026-01-13"},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"115","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"13/01/2026","earliest":"2026-01-13","latest":"2026-01-13"},"part":"With base","note":"Height with modern base."},{"dimension":"Width","value":"55","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Maximum","date":{"text":"13/01/2026","earliest":"2026-01-13","latest":"2026-01-13"},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"59","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Base","date":{"text":"13/01/2026","earliest":"2026-01-13","latest":"2026-01-13"},"part":"","note":"Width on modern base."},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"25","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"13/01/2026","earliest":"2026-01-13","latest":"2026-01-13"},"part":"At base","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"26","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"13/01/2026","earliest":"2026-01-13","latest":"2026-01-13"},"part":"At chest","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"29.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"13/01/2026","earliest":"2026-01-13","latest":"2026-01-13"},"part":"Modern base","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Bought from Mr L. Wickes for £35","historicalContext":"The protector Mahakala, a violent and vengeful aspect of Shiva absorbed by Buddhism as a guardian of the faith (<i>dharmapala</i>). Such borrowings from Hinduism into Buddhist imagery became common in the late phase of Buddhist development in Eastern India as the more esoteric stream of Buddhist practice gained ascendency.  Images such as this Mahakala became, in turn, the source for many of the fierce deities of  Himalayan  Buddhism, the  elaborate pantheon of Tibetan Buddhism, drawing heavily on the imagery of Eastern India","briefDescription":"Mahakala, basalt, Orissa, India, 12th century","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"W Zwalf: Buddhism - Art and Faith\r\n\r\nJohn Guy, Indian Temple Sculpture, V&A, 2007, pl 148, pg 133\r\nISBN 978 185177 5095\r\nGuy, John (ed.).: ‘L’Escultura en els Temples Indis: L’Art de la Devocio’, Barcelona : Fundacio ‘La Caixa’, 2007. ISBN 9788476649466. p.83, cat. 43."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Clarke, John;  The New Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Galleries of Buddhist Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum,\r\nOrientations; vol. 48. no. 5,  September/October 2017, p. 67, fig. 7."},{"reference":{"text":"Arts of Bengal : the heritage of Bangladesh and eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum : 9 November-30 December 1979, Whitechapel Art Gallery ..., 12 January-17 February 1980, Manchester City Art Gallery ... . [London]: Whitechapel Art Gallery, [1979] Number: 085488047X (pbk.) :","id":"AUTH339757"},"details":"p.26","free":""}],"production":"Orissa, eastern India","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Mahakala","id":"N5288"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"deities","id":"x31373"},{"text":"figures","id":"AAT189808"}],"contentConcepts":[{"text":"Buddhism","id":"AAT73738"}],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Mahakala\r\n1100–1200\r\nOrissa, East India\r\nBasalt\r\nMahakala was an important guardian (dharmapala)\r\nof Buddhism in India during its last phase. His violent\r\nimagery, borrowed from the vengeful aspects of the\r\nHindu deity Shiva, includes hair as a mass of flames\r\nand jewellery formed from entwined snakes. Destroyer\r\nof the enemies of Buddhism, he carries in his four\r\nhands a skull cup, flesh knife, rosary and staff with\r\ntrident end.\r\nMuseum no. IM.10-1930\r\n1100–1200","date":{"text":"1/4/2009","earliest":"2009-04-01","latest":"2009-04-01"}}],"partNumbers":["IM.10-1930"],"accessionNumberNum":"10","accessionNumberPrefix":"IM","accessionYear":1930,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LM5853","2019LN4212","2019LU9143","2019LU2691","2023NN5085"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-13","recordCreationDate":"2000-02-13","availableToBook":false}}