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Collections

Unknown
Rahu, Lord of the Planetscirca 1370

On view:
Resnick Pavilion, floor 1
Gilt bronze relief plaque of a multi-armed seated deity on a lotus throne, surrounded by a mandorla filled with smaller figures in niches, with turquoise inlay accents
Gilt bronze repoussé plaque depicting a multi-armed deity in vajraparyanka posture on a lotus throne, surrounded by smaller figures in niches within an arched aureole; turquoise inlay accents the jewelry, with faces carved along the lotus base.
Gilt bronze repoussé plaque depicting a crowned deity with multiple arms against an arched prabhavali, surrounded by smaller figures in medallions amid scrolling foliage, with turquoise inlay accents.
Gilt bronze repoussé plaque depicting a multi-armed crowned deity in high relief, adorned with beaded jewelry and inlaid turquoise, set against an arched prabhavali with scrolling foliage and small seated figures in medallions.
Artist or Maker
Unknown
Title
Rahu, Lord of the Planets
Place Made
Central Tibet, Densatil Monastery
Date Made
circa 1370
Medium
Gilt copper alloy inlaid with colored glass ornaments
Dimensions
21 1/2 x 19 1/4 x 7 in. (54.61 x 48.9 x 17.78 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the 1999 Collectors Committee
Accession Number
AC1999.58.1
Classification
Sculpture
Collecting Area
South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes

Rahu, Lord of the Planets was originally an ancient Indian demon believed to cause eclipses by seizing and devouring the sun and the moon. Rahu and the planetary deities were often represented on Buddhist and Hindu temple doorways as a protective motif. He is shown here in his evolved Tibetan form with multiple heads, a serpentine body, and shooting a now-missing arrow, which Tibetan Buddhists believe he shoots into the hearts of monks who break their religious vows as a warning to other errant monks. Surrounding Rahu are various subservient guardian deities over which he lords.

This relief is from the great stupa or funerary monument complex at the renowned Densatil monastery in central Tibet. Between 1198 and the early 17th century as many as eighteen stupas were erected at Densatil to either inter the remains of revered Kagyu Buddhist abbots and local princes or to honor their memory. The exteriors of the stupas were adorned with ornate high relief sculptures depicting various deities and subsidiary divinities. Each was encircled by a blossoming lotus tendril that united them in a coherent composition around the base of the monument. This sculpture is probably from one of the five stupas built between 1370 and 1431, most likely from one of the renowned stupas built under the patronage of the eminent Densatil abbot Sonam Gyaltsen (1386-1434). The Densatil monastic complex was destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976.

Selected Bibliography
  • Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
  • Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.