Thangka Shadbuja Mahakala From Tibet . Distemper on cloth; recto with Tibetan inscriptions in gold identifying the various figures. Shadbuja Mahakala is the principal protector deity of the Gelug school, indicated by the monks wearing yellow hats in the painting's top half. In this six-armed form, Mahakala emerges from the classification of preparatory rituals (Kriya-tantra) of the Mahakala-tantra as the wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. In his primary hands, he holds the ritual flaying knife (kartika) symbolizing the peeling away of negative thoughts, and the skull-cap bowl (kapala) representing the containment of impurities. Many striking visuals permeate this painting, including Mahakala's well-proportioned face with piercing eyes, his crown of grimacing skulls, some of which have their eyeballs loosened from their sockets. C.19th Century . Its size is 90cmX125cm (20221101_121310).