Vaishravana – The God of Wealth
Vaishravana is the famous or Renown, Son of Visravas, heavenly king of the north is the best known and most venerated of the Divine Kings. Brahma rewarded him with great wealth for practiced austerities for a thousand years. Hence he is also called Kuvera, the ‘God of Wealth’. In his palace in the Himalayas (Alaka), Yaksas (guardians of the earth’s treasures) and Kinnaras attend him (horse headed celestial musicians – analogous to the Greek centaurs). He has 28 Yaksas as generals in his army, there chief being Pancika, whose consort is Hariti. Statues of Vaishravana often show him with a sword, trident or banner (represent his triumphs) in his right hand and a vessel or stupa containing the treasure in his left. Sometimes he is shown holding a mongoose, representing his victory over the Nagas. In one of the sutras, it is said that he is the form of the Buddha Ratnasambhava who is yellow in color. His name in Tibetan is called “Namtose”.
About this Sculpture
This statue is machine made from copper alloy and then electroplated with 24kt gold.
