8 H E A D O F VA J R A PA N I Gandhara, 4th/5th century Height: 9 cm Width: 6 cm Depth: 8 cm
A stucco head of a male figure, carved with large rounded eyes, a wide nose and prominent moustache. He has fulsome cheeks which create creases just above his fine and thick facial hair. Remains of terracotta pigment can be seen to his fleshy face adding a further air of naturalism to an already portraitlike depiction. The expression on his modelled face is one of quiet determination. Above, an oval disc is attached to a band which secures his thick hair. The fuller face and prominent moustache suggest that he could be a representation of Vajrapani. Vajrapani, means “Holder of the Vajra” and the original sculpture from which this head came from would probably have depicted him clutching his vajra (thunderbolt). Vajrapani is also considered the guardian of the Elixir of Life and was often worshipped as the Rain God,
and a protector against snakes and snake bites.1 He is the personification of wisdom (prajna), which is conceived of as one half of the state of Buddhahood.2 He represents the power of all the Buddhas, the removal of obstacles, and the conquest of negativity through fierce determination, symbolised by the vajra he holds.3 This head of Vajrapani would probably have been part of a larger frieze, acting as an attendant flanking the Buddha to one side. Sculptures of Vajrapani carrying his vajra and standing next to the Buddha are illustrated in Sir John Marshall, The Buddhist Art of Gandhara: The Story of the Early School: Its Birth, Growth and Decline, 1960, pl. 38, fig. 61; pl. 40, fig. 63; and pl. 42, fig. 66. A similar head can also be seen in Isao Kurita, Gandharan Art II: The World of The Buddha, 2003, p. 126, pl. 348. References: 1. Meher McArthur, Reading Buddhist Art, 2002, p. 57. 2. Susan L. Huntington, The Art of Ancient India, 1985, p. 155. 3. Meher McArthur, Reading Buddhist Art, 2002, p. 57.
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