Virupaksa at The Guimet Museum, Paris

myminifactory

Virupaksha (Skt. VirupaKsha; Tib. Chen Mi Zang; Wyl. spyan mi bzang; Eng. 'Ugly Eyes') - one of the Four Great Kings. Guardian King of the West and leader of the nagas. In a previous life, he was a garuda and, along with Vaishravana, had attacked two nagas who lived fearlessly on the ocean surface but were unable to harm them. The nagas explained that they had taken refuge in Buddha Kashyapa and their virtue protected them. Hearing this, the two garudas also took refuge. The two nagas and two garudas all prayed to be reborn in the time of Buddha Shakyamuni in order to support him. He protects beings in the western direction, averting forces that obstruct the practice of Dharma. His glance is harmful to beings, so he avoids looking at them by gazing at the stupa he carries. The sculpture is highly decorated with jewels of a blue-green color. An elaborate and detailed headdress and costume are included on this standing figure that holds a serpent in one hand and in the other a structure. There is detailed chasing on the clothing of the small statue. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open-source community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.