The Dharampala Kubera is revered as the king of Yakshas (nature spirits) and the god of wealth, associated with all the treasures like minerals and jewels that lie underground; often depicted as a dwarf and is opined to be Ravana’s half-brother, as he once ruled Lanka. This semi-divine being is described as the chief of evil spirits in Vedas, but the Puranas and Hindu epics extol him as a deva. This deity, here sits in a distinctive posture on a thin randomly shaped pedestal, in a lotus leaf-hued skin tone and garbed in a shiny and smooth golden dhoti that compliments the heavy gold jewels veiled all over his body and the traditional Tibetan-styled gold crown. As always, he is portrayed as a plump man, with a large paunch and the realistic fierce expressions capture his face mask. This sculpture represents Kubera’s undistinguished Tibetan form, having two arms with the right one holding a sheaf of jewels and the left holding a mongoose or Nakula.
