Bronze statue depicting Acala, a powerful wrathful Buddhist diety. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 3 1/2 x 2 x 6 in. 

#2302 . 

Acala or Achala (Sanskrit for “The Immovable”), also known as Acalanātha or Āryācalanātha, is a wrathful deity and dharmapala (protector of the Dharma) prominent in Vajrayana Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism. Originally a minor deity described as a messenger or acolyte of the Buddha Vairocana, Acala later rose to prominence as an object of veneration in his own right as a remover of obstacles and destroyer of evil, eventually becoming seen as the wrathful manifestation of either Vairocana, the buddha Akṣobhya, or the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. In East Asian esoteric Buddhism, Acala is classed among the Wisdom Kings (Vidyārāja) and is preeminent among the five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. Accordingly, he occupies an important hierarchical position in the Mandala of the Two Realms. In China he is known as Bùdòng Míngwáng, while in Japan he is called Fudō Myōō. one of the most important and well-known divinities in Japanese Buddhism, being especially venerated in the Shingon, Tendai, Zen, and Nichiren sects. Acala has been worshiped throughout the Middle Ages and into modern times in Nepal, Tibet, China and Japan, where sculptural and pictorial representations of him are most often found. Many sculptures and artistic representations of him draw his look verbatim from the Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra’s description: “His right hand is terrifying with a sword in it/His left is holding a noose/He is making a threatening gesture with his index finger/And bites his lower lip with his fangs.” In Nepalese and Tibetan art Acala is usually shown either kneeling on his left knee or standing astride, and some depictions portray him trampling on the elephant-headed Vighnarāja, signifying his role as the destroyer of impediments to enlightenment. Today Acala remains an extremely popular figure with tourists and locals throughout Southeast Asia alike as a fierce and protective deity.

Commensurate with age.