Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c31.3

v4.c31.3

The image of the Kshētrapāla should be always a nude standing one with three eyes; it may possess two, four, six or eight arms. The sātvika image has either two or four arms; the rājasa six arms and the tāmasa eight. In the sātvika form alone, the image, though it might possess side tusks should be of pacific look, whereas, in the other cases, it should be of terrific look only. Similarly, the colour of the body differs in different aspects of the Kshētrapāla; it is white if the image is a sātvika one; it is red if it is *rājasa* and black if it is *tāmasa*.