| Kapala is human skull caps tantric buddhist ritual drinking vessel. Tibetan thod pa cup made of a human skull, frequently offered by worshipers to the fierce Tantric deities of Hindu India and Buddhist Tibet. The human skull cup is used to hold offerings of bread or wine, symbolizing blood and flesh, to "wrathful" deities. The kapala may be a carryover from ancient practices of human sacrifice.
When creating a kapala, a skull is specially collected, prepared, and elaborately annointed and consecrated before use. Many are decorated with carvings, jewels, or silverwork.
The Kapala is fashioned from the oval upper section of a human cranium. It serves as libation vessel for a vast number of Vajrayana deities, mostly wrathful. Kapala is used for containing blood in tantric ritual. Held by Kali and other manifestations of Shiva Shakti, by Mahakala and other guardian deities and their Dankinis. Kapala is made of severed head of a man or the cup made of a skull, or a bowl. The skull cup is of two kinds, when it is filled with blood it is called Asrk Kapala, and when with flesh it is called Mamsa Kapala. It is used in Tantric ritual. The deities are appeared to partake of the blood or the flesh of the demon carried in these cups. |
