Kapei Monastery: Yamantaka

CHINA, Tibet, Qamdo

Yamantaka, the conqueror of death, and also known as Vajrabhairava, is one of the principal meditational deities of Tibetan Buddhism. The statue is inlaid with turquoise and has nine heads, thirty-four arms, and sixteen legs. To accommodate the dramatic figure, the double lotus pedestal has been widened. The heads are divided into three tiers with three heads each. The central head at the very top is that of Manjusri Bodhisattva, while the principal head at the bottom is a buffalo’s with a third eye below a skull crown. The remaining heads are those of crowned wisdom kings. A garland of severed heads can be found at the waist. The many hands carry various weapons and ritual implements, with the principal right and left hands carrying a flaying knife and a skull cup. The left legs tread down eight bodies of humans and animals, while the right feet step on eight birds perched on recumbent figures.