Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 7. (Budapest, 1964)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - F. Takáts, Zoltán: Some Notes to the Bronzes and Other Objects of the Chinese Collection. III

the gods and their maithuna ceremonies were combined with the important fertility and fecondity cult and its rites. These were the consequences of later Hinduism in which the bhairava gods became prominent. Hindu literature also relates numerous heroic deeds (82 set in Northern India alone) and the magical power of Vishnu Hayagriva. ,,Later Buddhism totally divorces the demonical aspect of Hayagriva from the late Hindu god and makes him a special deity in the Mahayanic pantheon." This is the most concise reference I found to support the view about Vishnu Hayagriva. His brilliant monograph was written by R. H. van Gulik: ,,Hayagriva". Internationales Archiv für Ethnologie. Supplement to vol. XXXIII. Leiden, 1935. We can call the gilt bronze figure of Hayagriva and his çakti an unusual piece. It has more refined details than most similar pieces. The larger figure of the god is significant. The woman is not only finely made but her right foot, in contrast to the other çakti figures, does not touch the base at all (Fig. 4). Both figures are carefully modelled. The çakti encircles the god with her left leg. The god has three heads and a third eye on each forehead. He has eight arms and legs, each of which trample snakes. He rests his weight on the right foot. The çakti resembles a normal woman except for her third eye and the pointed knot on the top of her head. Both figures have five-branched crowns; the god's includes all three heads formed by the side branches of the common crown. The god and his çakti are about to exchange kisses with open triangular lips. The third eye of the central face of Hayagriva is framed by a radiating three-branched sign with small rings. I believe they are magic signs, just as that on the palm of the second left hand (Fig. 5—6.). None of the other left hands hold symbols nor do the right ones, with the exception of the first pair of arms which embrace the çakti and hold the kapala and kartrika. Only one arm of the çakti similarly embraces her lord with the kapala and kartrika in her hands. The most important and distinguished symbols of Hayagriva, who appears here as a sorcerer, are the three horse heads prominent on the halo formed around his head by the thick mass of hair. His upper body is covered by a cloth ornamented with zigzag lines and small rings. On the lower part of the body we see a very carefully modelled and engraved tiger skin, with the Chinese sign for king on the forehead of the ma­jestic animal. These are all to mind the Hunnic cauldrons of the great migration and the Chinese peasant houses with rings painted on the walls to protect against wolves who fear fire. The outstretched left hand holding the sorcerer's ring is the surest defence a believer can have (Fig. 6.).

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