Achala
Artist
Mongolian (Mongolian)Date
19th centuryMedium
Pigments, gilding on sized cloth, Silver frameDimensions
Work : 4 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 5/8 in. (11.43 x 8.89 x 1.59 cm)Credit Line
Gift of David Kamansky and Gerald WheatonObject Number
2014.23.341.1.A-CLabel
Although he closely resembles the bodhisattva Vajrapani, Achala is a meditational deity associated with Akshobhya Buddha and the bodhisattva Manjushri. He is typically portrayed standing in a spread-legged stance with a sword in his upraised right hand and a lasso in his left hand. He has dark blue skin and a wrathful face with three eyes and a mouth full of sharp fanged teeth. He wears an elephant-skin cloak and a tiger-skin loin cloth, together with a gold crown and gold jewelry. Achala was traditionally believed to help devotees overcome their own negative qualities, and was also invoked in rituals for help in removing obstacles and solving problems.