Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Mandala of Achala Chandamaharoshana
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
The deity known as both as Achala and Chandamaharoshana is the wise upholder of truth in the meditational text the "Chandamaharoshana Tantra," where he responds to questions asked by his consort Vishvavajri while they are united in a sexual embrace. Chandamaharoshana is beloved by devotees, as he is associated with healing and protection from disease.
A text popular in Nepal, the "Chandamaharoshana Tantra" describes rituals that enable initiates to associate themselves with the deity. These include being handed Chandamaharoshana’s attributes—a sword symbolizing knowledge that kills all enemies and a noose that binds the wicked.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Sale, Sotheby's, New York, December 1973; John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, 1973, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Geographies
Nepal (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 32 1/4 x W: 23 in. (81.9 x 58.4 cm)
Credit Line
Promised gift of John and Berthe Ford
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
F.138