Mudgar

"Mudgarpani" Yaksha
Mathura, 100 BCE

Mudgarpani ("Mace-holder") Yaksha, Art of Mathura, 100 BCE.¹ This colossal statue in the round is 1.96 meters tall.¹ The right hand holds a mudgar, the left hand used to support a small standing devotee or child joining hands in prayer.²

A mudgar (Sanskrit: मुद्गर, romanized: mudgara) or mudgara³ is a type of gada (mace) from India, and it is generally considered to be made of wood, but can also be made of iron.⁴

Usage

The mudgar appears is ancient Indian sculptures, where it is commonly held by Yaksha deities, known as mudgarpani (mudgarapāṇi; mudgar-holders).⁵

An ancient Jain story named the Antagadadasao tell the story of a man named Ajjunaka who was worshipping the image of the "Yaksa who held a mace", when he was attacked by five bandits, an event which shook his devotion to the Yashka. Afterwards the Yaksa possessed Ajjunaka, giving him the strength to kill the five bandits.⁶

Nowadays, for training purposes when using Indian clubs, one or two wooden gada ("mudgar"), reaching up to 70 kilograms in weight, can be used: they can be swung behind the back in several different ways; this is particularly useful for building grip strength and shoulder endurance.⁷⁸

Examples

Yaksha holding mudgar and child. Art of Mathura, 100 BCE.⁹

References

Dated 100 BCE in Fig.88 in Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2007). History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE. BRILL. p. 368, Fig. 88. ISBN 9789004155374.
Fig. 85 in Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2007). History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE. BRILL. p. Fig.85, p.365. ISBN 9789004155374.
Books, Kausiki (2021-10-24). Skanda Purana: Brahma Khanda: Dharmottara Khanda: English Translation only without Slokas. Kausiki Books. p. 169.
Bulletin of the Victoria Memorial. Trustees of the Victoria Memorial. 1973. p. 49.
Handa, Devendra; Agrawal, Ashvini (1989). Ratna-chandrikā: Panorama of Oriental Studies : Shri R.C. Agrawala Festschrift. Harman Publishing House. p. 90. ISBN 978-81-85151-29-8.
Sharma, Ramesh Chandra (1994). The Splendour of Mathurā Art and Museum. D.K. Printworld. p. 76. ISBN 978-81-246-0015-3.
Kasulis, Thomas P.; Aimes, Roger T.; Dissanayake, Wimal (1993). Self as Body in Asian Theory and Practice. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780791410806.
"Mudgar exercise-club". British Museum. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
Dated 100 BCE in Fig. 85 Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2007). History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE. BRILL. p. Fig.85, p.365. ISBN 9789004155374.

[SRQF88-1] Dated 100 BCE in Fig.88 in Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2007). History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE. BRILL. p. 368, Fig. 88. ISBN 9789004155374.

[2] Fig. 85 in Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2007). History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE. BRILL. p. Fig.85, p.365. ISBN 9789004155374.

[3] Books, Kausiki (2021-10-24). Skanda Purana: Brahma Khanda: Dharmottara Khanda: English Translation only without Slokas. Kausiki Books. p. 169.

[4] Bulletin of the Victoria Memorial. Trustees of the Victoria Memorial. 1973. p. 49.

[5] Handa, Devendra; Agrawal, Ashvini (1989). Ratna-chandrikā: Panorama of Oriental Studies : Shri R.C. Agrawala Festschrift. Harman Publishing House. p. 90. ISBN 978-81-85151-29-8.

[6] Sharma, Ramesh Chandra (1994). The Splendour of Mathurā Art and Museum. D.K. Printworld. p. 76. ISBN 978-81-246-0015-3.

[7] Kasulis, Thomas P.; Aimes, Roger T.; Dissanayake, Wimal (1993). Self as Body in Asian Theory and Practice. SUNY Press. ISBN 9780791410806.

[8] "Mudgar exercise-club". British Museum. Retrieved 2019-02-01.

[9] Dated 100 BCE in Fig. 85 Quintanilla, Sonya Rhie (2007). History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE - 100 CE. BRILL. p. Fig.85, p.365. ISBN 9789004155374.

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Usage

Examples

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References