Artwork Page for Achala, King of the Wrathful Ones

Details / Information for Achala, King of the Wrathful Ones

Achala, King of the Wrathful Ones

early 1200s

China, Zhejiang Province, probably Hangzhou

Medium
Thangka, silk tapestry with pearls
Measurements
Overall: 100.6 x 74.3 cm (39 5/8 x 29 1/4 in.); Mounted: 111.1 x 83.8 x 7 cm (43 3/4 x 33 x 2 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1992.72
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The elephant-headed figure under his left foot is a demonic divinity, a yaksha, who creates obstacles to enlightenment.

Description

The powerful blue body of Achala, meaning “immovable,” dominates the composition. He holds a sword to cut through ignorance and a noose for catching illusions that plague the path to enlightenment. Small personifications of furious destroyers of illusion (maya) emanate from him on either side, each with his own weapon. This image expresses what advanced practitioners would visualize in meditation rituals, as explained in Buddhist texts called tantras. Woven with a sophistication matched only by products of the Hangzhou looms, this devotional tapestry made its way to Khara-Khoto, capital of the Tangut Empire located in present-day Mongolia and Central Asia, where tantric Buddhism was prevalent.
Tapestry depicting Achala, a nude, blue deity waving a sword in his right hand and a noose in his left, swirling around his body. He stands with one foot on a blue human-like figure and the other a white, elephant-headed figure a fifth his size. Four even smaller multi-color figures, each holding weapons, leap out from him on either side. A band of five seated people runs on top, and five figures standing on one leg, holding trays stand below, with medium to lights or blue-tinged skin tones. Among floral patterns, blue circles with symbols inside line the border.

Achala, King of the Wrathful Ones

early 1200s

China, Zhejiang Province, probably Hangzhou

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