Atsara mask

Atsara or religious Clown is prominent figure especially at the Tshechu Festivals. Atsara is believed to be the jester of Buddhas and he imparts the religious teachings through his jest and humour, at times by mocking the people.

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The Atsara figure is an integral part of many Bhutanese festivals. Being a primary agent of mirth and merriment, the red face comical character holding a phallus is generally thought of as a clown at the tshechu festivals. The Atsara character, however, is more than just a clown for entertainment. The Atsara combines the spirit of the sacred and profane, wit and wisdom, humour and responsibility. He helps his audience not only to forget their worries and problems with his jokes but also to occasionally drop their normal sense of self-importance, hypocrisy and false propriety through his pranks.

The name, Atsara, is said to have come from the Sanskrit term acārya, which is transcribed in Tshuyig as ཨ་ཙརྱ་. Acārya refers to a teacher or scholar and was a title used to refer to the Indian masters. For instance, the three famous Indian acāryas who have shown great kindness to Tibet are said to be 1) Atiśa Dīpaṅkara, the white acārya, Dampa Sangye, the black acārya and Padmasambhava, the variegated acārya. There was also a red acārya from India who came to Tibet in the 11th century and is sadly remembered for his licentious behaviour, which is said to have corrupted Buddhism in the name of tantric practice. It is difficult to say, without any evidence, on which group of personalities Bhutan’s Atsaracharacter is based and how it has evolved. Many traditional scholars claim that Atsara is a parody of Indian mahāsiddhas, some of whom were enlightened mavericks living unconventional lives while being highly realized Buddhist saints. These enlightened saints, who were renegades on the fringes of society, practiced crazy wisdom as did the divine madmen of Tibet such as Drukpa Kunley.

Whether the Atsara figure is a caricatural reminder of unorthodox saints of crazy wisdom or remnants of loose lustful behaviour of some priests who abused tantric Buddhism, it is today one of Bhutan’s unique and exotic cultural institution.

Height S - 12cm. M -18cm, L - 24cm
Width S - 10 cm, M - 14cm, L - 18
Weight S - 0.7g, M - 1kg, L - 1.5kg
Compositions Pine wood, natural colour
Styles Classic
Properties Used seasoned pine wood curved and painted with with natural colours. No chemical being used.

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Atsara mask

Atsara mask

Atsara or religious Clown is prominent figure especially at the Tshechu Festivals. Atsara is believed to be the jester of Buddhas and he imparts the religious teachings through his jest and humour, at times by mocking the people.

Write a review

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