The Indian Buddhist Iconography
by Benoytosh Bhattachacharyya | 1958 | 51,392 words | ISBN-10: 8173053138 | ISBN-13: 9788173053139
This page contains an iconography image of Eight Dikpalas: Indra and represents figure 236 of the book Indian Buddhist Iconography, based on extracts of the Sadhanamala English translation. These plates and illustrations represent either photographs of sculptures or line-drawing reproductions of paintings or other representations of Buddhist artwork.
Figure 236 - Eight Dikpālas: Indra
Fig. 236: Indra
(Peiping)
The eight Dikpālas [viz., Indra] or the Lords of the Eight Quarters are described in the Dharmadhātuvāgīśvara-maṇḍala and other places in the Niṣpannayogāvalī. They are the Lords or rather the embodiments of the four principal directions and the four intermediate corners, and resemble the Yamāntaka group of deities of the Buddhists. Their forms are described below in the same order as they appear in the Dharmadhātuvāgīśvara-maṇḍala. Here only one typical form is given, although there are many more, even with their female counterparts.
Indra:
Faces: yellow;
Arms: two;
Vehicle: elephant;
Direction: east.
The first in the series of Eight Hindu gods of direction is Indra who presides over the Eastern quarter. His form is described as follows: “"Indra (of the east) rides on the Airāvata elephant and is yellow in colour. He holds in his two hands the Vajra and the breast of a woman”.
Under the name of Śakra he appears in the Chinese collection. Fig. 236 illustrates his Peiping image.