Conch Shell with a Figure of Hevajra, 1100sCambodia, Khmer, Angkor Period, 12th-13th Centuryshell an
Conch Shell with a Figure of Hevajra, 1100sCambodia, Khmer, Angkor Period, 12th-13th Centuryshell and bronze, Overall - h:35.00 cm (h:13 ¾ inches). John L. Severance Fund 1977.176Conch shells were blown in tantric rituals to make the sound that was considered to correspond to the initial syllable om of a mantra. Mantras are codified strings of syllables that practitioners repeat multiple times to help focus the mind through sound. Historically in South Asia, conch shells were used as a call to battle in military contexts. In the Buddhist ritual context, it signals the start of one’s process of destroying delusions and misconceptions.The dancing tantric figure of Hevajra has been worked into the bronze embellishment of the shell. Hevajra was elevated to a prominent position in Khmer Buddhism of the Angkorian period as the standard figure denoting tantric practices. -- source link
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