ARTICLE
Dvarapalas
The dvarapala statues of a site reflect the architectural and artistic styles of its time. In the Pallava period, for instance, dvarapala were typically depicted with two arms, leaning on a club, while during the Chola period, they were shown in more dynamic, ferocious poses, armed with maces. The spread of Buddhism and Hinduism to parts of South-East Asia and Eastern Asia during the pre-medieval and medieval periods also resulted in the passage of dvarapala statues to new locales. For this reason, they can also be found at Hindu and Buddhist historical sites in Indonesia, as well as in China and Japan.
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