Virupaksha, the Guardian King of the West

STYLE: This lively sculpture of the guardian king Virupaksha is remarkable for its sophisticated technique, polychromy, and good state of preservation. Even the scarf floating behind the head, which provides the otherwise static image with some sense of movement, has survived. The figure is short and sturdy and has a massive head dwarfed by an even more dominant crown. The solid body and stance, expressing certainty and stability, contrasts with the stern facial expression, the large but comparatively fragile crown, and the floating scarf tThe stone inlay of the eyes provide the sculpture a sense of sentience.

CONTENT: This astonishingly well preserved and colorful clay image represents the guardian king of the west, Virupaksha. He is the king of the naga, the snake beings of the underground. In this rather unusual form the guardian king is orange and holds a victory banner in his right hand and a stupa in his left. He wears the armor of a warrior but a large five-lobed crown instead of a helmet. It is said, that Virupaksha’s damaging eyes, here emphasized through the stone inlay, are rendered harmless by the stupa he holds.