Bhairava, the "fearsome one"

The third eye located on the forehead, the diadem made of intertwined cobras with skulls, the discreet moon crescent in the hair, the claws and bulging eyes are all iconographic elements that allow us to identify this impressive face as a representation of Bhairava, “the Fearsome one”, one of the fierce manifestations of Hindu God Shiva. At the center of the diadem, on top of the third eye, the serene-looking face of the god appears in connection with the furious form, expressing the fact that one originates from the other.

This artwork was a part of a specific setting for some important celebrations in the Kathmandu valley. Whether made of wood, clay or hammered and wrought copper like this one, such masks were displayed in front of a jar and were used as large-sized historiated pouring spouts. The liquid contained in the jar was a local beer representing the offering made to Bhairava by the inhabitants of the valley, and flew from a duct in the god’s half-open mouth. During the celebration of Indra, which lasts for several days at the end of the monsoon during the September full moon, Hindu and Buddhist worshippers fervently consumed the divine and slightly inebriating beverage during a week of libations overflowing with mirth, a celebration of fertile life and prosperity.