Rakshasa

Dimensions: 45cm high, 30cm wide, 23cm deep.
Code: CLAY 3721

Hand-made terracotta Rakshasa from Tamil Nadu. Rakshansa appear in both the epics of Hinduism the Ramayana and Mahabharata but also as part of Buddhism. There are both good and evil rakshasas, and as warriors they fought alongside the armies of both sides. They are powerful fighters, expert magicians, shape-changers and illusionists. Rakshasas (and Rakshai the female form) are often depicted as fierce-looking creatures, with fangs, protruding tongues and claw-like fingernails. These forms are still made by traditional potters for people to put outside their houses to ward off the evil eye. Brightly painted Rakshansa’s can be found in street bazaars and roadside stalls, however, meeting the potters in a remote village in Tamil Nadu and being able to buy this directly from them was very special.