Rahula is the horrific Nyingma protector deity, wrathful, with nine heads and a giant face on the belly. It is likely that the depiction of this Buddhist protector is a Tibetan creation. In the ancient tradition of Tibetan Buddism(Nyingma) Rahula became popula as a protector of the ‘reveleaved treasure teachings(terma). In Buddhist depictions he is portrayed with the lower body of a coiled serpent spirit and the upper body with four arms , nine heads, adorned with a thousand eyes. In the middle of the stomach is one large wrathful face. The face in the stomach , belly is actually the face and head of Rahula. The nine stacked heads depicted above are the nine planets that Rahula has eclipsed, or rather literally swallowed, eaten and now symbolically appear on top of his own face and insatiable mouth.At the crown of the stack of all the heads is the head of a black raven.
Wrathful deities Thangka are full of wisdom and love and the power to alleviate pain/misery. There are many meditational deities that have both peaceful and wrathful forms.
