The Sanskrit term Makara refers to a sea dragon or water monster (Tib. Chu-srin), which is usually identified as a crocodile.  The Makara is the vehicle of the Vedic water god Varuna and the river goddess Ganga, and has been identified by some scholars with the freshwater dolphins that inhabit the River Ganges.  It is also an emblem of Kamadeva, the Vedic god of love and desire, who is also known as  Makara-Ketu, meaning 'long-tailed makara'.  The Makara is also the tenth sign (Skt. rasi) of the Indian zodiac, which corresponds with Capricorn, the sea goat of the western zodiac.

As an ancient Indian mythological symbol, the Makara is a hybrid creature, formed from a number of animals that collectively possess the nature of a crocodile.  It has the lower jaw of a crocodile, the snout or trunk of an elephant, the tusks and ears of a wild boar, the darting eyes of a monkey, the scales and flexible body of a fish, and the swirling tail feathers of a peacock.  During its stylistic evolution from the ancient Indian to the present Tibetan form, the Makara has also gained a lion's forepaws, a horse's mane, the gills and tendrils of a fish, and the horns of a deer or dragon.  From its once simply feathered fishtail now emerges a complex spiraling pattern, known as a 'makara-tail' (Skt. makaraketu) design.

The nature of the crocodile is one of power and tenacity, as proverbially the crocodile will not release its prey until death has occurred.  The Makara is widely represented upon many Vajrayana weapons as a symbol of this tenacious strength.  These weapons include the axe, iron hook, curved knife, vajra, and ritual dagger, where the blade or point of these various weapons emerge from the open mouth (Skt. makaramukha) of this creature.  As a symbol of the water element the head of a Makara often adorns the corner projections of temple roofs as a rainwater gargoyle.  The Makara head may also appear at the source of a spring as a carved stone waterspout.  Pictorially and architecturally, a symmetrical pair of Makaras are depicted alongside two Naga Kanyas (snake women), together with a crowning Garuda or Kirtimukha face, upon the upper arches of carved wooden doorways, or the torana that rises behind the enlightenment throne of a Buddha or deity image.  Sculpted forms of the torana are extremely common in the Newari art and architecture of Nepal.  As a guardian of gateways the Makara image appears on the curved prongs of the vast crossed vajra that encompasses the four gateways of the two dimensional mandala.  On the three dimensional mandala this crossed vajra support the entire structure of the mandala palace, symbolizing the immovable stability of the vajra-ground upon which it stands.

                     
                       Phurpa with the mouth of a Makara in the recess of the blade.

Above: Shakyamuni Buddha statue with Torana (arch) and Makaras on the upper right and left corner.


Above: Close up of Makara