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]
Amudgar (Sanskrit:मुद्गर,romanized: mudgara) ormudgara[3] is a type ofgada (mace) from India, and it is generally considered to be made of wood, but can also be made of iron.[4]
Themudgar appears is ancient Indian sculptures, where it is commonly held byYaksha deities, known as mudgarpani (mudgarapāṇi; mudgar-holders).[5]
An ancientJain story named theAntagadadasao 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 usingIndian 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.[7][8]
![Yaksha holding mudgar and child. Art of Mathura, 100 BCE.[9]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aYaksha_Carrying_Human_Figure_and_Mudgar_-_2nd_Century_BCE_-_Government_Museum_-_Mathura_2013-02-24_6089.JPG)
