Nepalese Gao or Prayer Box Depicting Mahakala

Arms crossed, belly forward, crown on. Nobody is getting past.

This gao or prayer box depicting Mahakala is from Nepal and is contemporary, made of silver and copper. A gao is a small portable shrine worn or carried across the Himalayas, generally holding prayers, relics or a sacred image for protection on the road. Mahakala, a fierce protector deity in Tibetan Buddhism, sits squat on a lotus base in high relief, his arms crossed at the chest and a skull crown above wide eyes. Scarves flare at either side. The frame is arched to a point, with a loop on each side for a cord. It is 1.5 inches wide and 1.5 high.

A guardian sized for a pocket, with none of the resolve trimmed.