Tibet, Kalachakra (5)

15th-16th century, Tibet, Nepalese schools, Kalacakra, gilt copper, 29 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 964 pl. 232A, at the Palkor Chode monastic complex in Gyantse (Tibet).

We have seen very few sculptures of this meditational deity, who has one or four heads and two, four, or twenty-four arms. His name means ‘the wheel of time’ and he is always standing, usually treading on two four-armed Hindu deities often attended by two kneeling female figures (or seated, in this case). The above is in embrace with his consort, Vishvamata, who has four heads and eight arms. He wears a tiger skin loin cloth and a garland of vajra sceptres, she wears a bone apron. They are adorned with crowns and princely jewellery. He holds a vajra sceptre and a vajra bell in his main hands crossed over her back, and a variety of peaceful and wrathful implements in the others (usually an arrow, a hook, a wheel, a spear, a shield, a bow, a lasso, a conch shell, a mirror, a drum, a hammer, a stick, an axe, a ritual staff, a skull cup, a jewel, a lotus, a chain, Brahma’s head).

We saw a larger and earlier Kalachakra with consort, from the Shalu monastery, published on Huntington Archive , the following picture shows the reverse of that statue.

1300-1350 AD, Tibet, Nepalese schools, Kalacakra, gilt copper, 60 cm, photo as before (p. 964 pl. 232B), at the Zhwa lu monastery (Tibet).

Tibet, Kalachakra (3)

15th century, Tibet, Sonam Gyaltsen & Atelier, Kalachakra, gilt metal (copper alloy, with pigment and turquoise inlay), private collection, photo on  Himalayan Art Resources .

Kalachakra with four heads and 24 arms, in embrace with his consort, Visvamata, also known as Kalachakri or kalichakra, depicted here in her four-head and eight-arm form. They tread on Kamadeva and Rudra, each with four arms, who are attended by two kneeling figures. Kalachakra has a visvajra and a crescent moon in his hair. He holds a vajra sceptre and a vajra bell in his main hands, a flaying knife, a skull cup, a lotus, and other implements now lost (see link below).

15th century, Tibet, Kalachakra, gilt copper alloy, with cold gold, pigments, turquoise, garnet, private collection, photo on Himalayan Art Resourcesat the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne .

See the full list of implements on the above link.

14th century, Tibet, Kalachakra, gilt copper alloy, photo on Himalayan Art Resources, at the Shalu monastery (Tibet).

As before, photo on Jonang Foundation .

Undated (18th century or later?), Tibet, Kalachakra, bronze, private collection, photo on Sotheby’s, Australia .

Kalachakra, with four heads and twenty-four arms, in embrace with Vishvamata depicted here with one head and two arms. He holds a variety of peaceful and wrathful implements, she holds a flaying knife and a skull cup.

15th century, Tibet, Kalachakra, metal, photo on HAR, at the Museum der Kulturen in Basel (Switzerland).

His attributes are likely to be: an axe, a stick, a spear, a wheel, a hammer, a drum, a hook, an arrow, a flaying knife, a trident, a sword, a vajra sceptre in his right hands, a skull cup, a ritual staff, a shield, a bell, a lotus, a jewel, a lasso, a bow, Brahma’s head, a chain, a mirror, a conch shell in his left hands (not necessarily in this order).

Tibet, Kalachakra (2)

14th century, Tibet, Kalachakra, gilt copper with stones and pigment, at the Shalu monastery in Shigatse, photo on the Huntington Archive

Sculptures of Kalachakra normally depict him with four heads with hair tied together and decorated with a visvajra and a crescent moon, and 24 hands, in which he holds various attributes. This meditational deity is always in union with his consort, Vishvamata. They often tread on two victims with four arms each, holding various attributes and accompanied by two kneeling female figures.

Following the Newari fashion, the deities are adorned with princely accessories inlaid with small stone and coral cabochons, including raining jewel pendants at the extremities of their celestial scarves. Even the rim of the double lotus base is decorated with turquoise, lapis lazuli and coral.

14th-15th century, Tibet, Kalachakra, gilt copper alloy with stones and pigments, private collection, photo on Sotheby’s.

The attributes he usually holds are a vajra sceptre, a sword, a trident, a flaying knife, a flaming arrow, a hook, a drum, a hammer, a wheel, a spear, a stick, a battle axe, a bell, a shield, a ritual staff, a skull cup, a bow, a lasso, a jewel, a lotus, a conch shell, a mirror, a chain and Brahma’s head with four faces.

15th century, Tibet, Kalachakra, gilt metal, private collection, photo on Himalayan Art Resources, item 30025.

His consort, also known as Kalachakri or Kalichakra, may have one or four heads and two to eight arms.

Tibet, Kalachakra

15th century, Tibet, Kalachakra, gilt bronze with turquoise, lapis lazuli and garnets, private collection, photo on Christie’s.

This angry male deity with his hands crossed over his heart, holding a vajra sceptre and bell, could be understood as the heruka form of Chakrasamvara but, as Christie’s inform us, the garland of vajra sceptres identifies him a Sahaja Heruka Kalachakra (a rare two-hand form of Kalachakra, normally depicted with his consort and mainly on paintings). He wears a bone apron with raining jewel pendants over his tiger skin loin cloth.

14th -15th century, Tibet, Kalachakra, gilt copper alloy, private collection, photo by on Christie’s.

Kalachakra wtih four heads, each with three eyes and adorned with skull crowns, and 24 hands, in which he holds various implements (some are missing). He wears a tiger skin as a loin cloth and stands on two hindu deities known as Kamadeva and Rudra. Two of his arms embrace his consort, Visvamata (also named Kalachakri/Kalichakra), who has four heads and 8 arms. The  lower part of the double-lotus base is incised with a scrolling vine motif.

14th-15th century, Tibet, Kalacakra, gilt copper, 30 cm, Jokhang/gTsug Lakhang collection, Lhasa, inventory nº 16(A), photo on Ulrich von SchroederUpdate: this statue was sadly stolen from the Jokhang and is presently at the Art Gallery of New South Wales but without its original pedestal.

The two deities are wearing a garland of 50 freshly severed heads which drop below the tiger skin loin cloth. Parts of the sculpture are broken or missing but, traditionally, the 24 implements he holds are a thunderbolt or vajra, a sword, a trident, a curved knife, a flaming arrow, a hook, some  drums, a hammer, a wheel, a spear, a stick, an axe, a bell, a shield, a staff, a skull cup, a bow, a lasso, a jewel, a lotus, a conch shell, a mirror, a chain, and the head of Brahma.

Originally labelled ’17th century’ on Christie’s, then ’19th-20th century’ on Christie’sand ’15th century’ on HAR, gilt copper alloy with turquoise inlay, private collection.

His hair is gathered and topped with a half vajra and decorated with a visvajra and a crescent moon. The base of the statue is missing.