# Architectural Strut with the Dikpala, Vayu, Standing on a Deer

- By: Nepal (Kathmandu Valley)
- Date: 17th century
- Medium: Wood with traces of red pigment
- Classification: Architectural fragment
- Dimensions: 72.3 × 17 × 10.2 cm (28 1/2 × 6 11/16 × 4 in.)
- Culture: Nepal
- Credit line: James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/104984)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/026b6ada-6538-7342-686b-276f5a76c9fe/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This wooden architectural strut would have been used to support one of the multi-tiered roofs of a shrine in the Kathmandu Valley. The figure on this strut is the wind-god Vayu, who can be identified by his attributes: a staff with a billowing banner and his animal vehicle, the deer. Vayu is one of the guardians of the directions (Astadikpalas), found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. The base of the strut is inscribed with the name of the donor, Binay.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0