Chengde Eight Outlying Temples: Vajradaka
Gilt copper alloy
Chengde Eight Outlying Temples: Vajradaka
CHINA, Hebei, Chengde; Qing dynasty
Vajradaka serves as a Dharma protector in Vajrayana Buddhism. This 18th century artwork is used for burning sesame seeds during purification ceremonies. The figure is seated with heels together upon a circular lotus base. The hands are crossed at the chest and hold a bell and vajra, now lost, in a variation of the vajrahumkara (embracing wisdom) mudra. The figure’s crowned head looks up with a gaping mouth and severed heads hang from the jewelry. Two of the eight great snakes that accompany the figure are along the thighs.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F, page 240.
Cite this article:
Hsingyun, et al. "Chengde Eight Outlying Temples: Vajradaka." Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F, vol. 10, 2016, pp. 240.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Yann Lovelock, Yuan Chou, Susan Huntington, Gary Edson, and Robert Neather. 2016. "Chengde Eight Outlying Temples: Vajradaka" In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F, 10:240.
Hsingyun, Youheng, Lovelock, Y., Chou, Y., Huntington, S., Edson, G., & Neather, R.. (2016). Chengde Eight Outlying Temples: Vajradaka. In Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F (Vol. 10, pp. 240).
@misc{Hsingyun2016,
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F},
pages = 240,
title = {{Chengde Eight Outlying Temples: Vajradaka}},
volume = 10,
year = {2016}}
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F},
pages = 240,
title = {{Chengde Eight Outlying Temples: Vajradaka}},
volume = 10,
year = {2016}}