Kyikhar Monastery: Vajradhara

CHINA, Tibet, Qamdo

This statue of Vajradhara represents the primordial Buddha of the Kagyu and Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The figure wears a jeweled crown and has a wide smiling face with lowered eyes. An empty socket is located between the eyebrows, where there was once a jeweled urna. The upper body tapers from broad shoulders to a slim waist and the forearms are crossed at the chest with the hands held in the vajrahumkara (embracing wisdom) mudra. The ritual vajra and bell that are his identifying attributes are missing. They may originally have been held in the hands, or alternatively, balanced on the lotuses of which only one remains. The figure’s legs are in the full lotus position and draped in a simple skirt.