Cakrasamvara and Consort

NEPAL

Cakrasamvara and his consort Vajravarahi are shown standing side by side rather than in the typical embrace. The black Cakrasamvara has four heads and twelve arms. He wears a skull crown and a long garland of skulls. Two of his hands are in front of his chest holding a vajra and a bell while forming the vajrahumkara (embracing wisdom) mudra. The two top hands hold up an elephant hide that hangs down behind the body. The four right hands hold a drum, a vajra, an axe, and a trident, while the left hands hold a tantric staff, a skull cup, a noose, and severed heads. On the left, Vajravarahi stands on a prone figure and appears to be dancing. She has red skin, wears a golden crown and jewelry, and has a third eye in the middle of her forehead. Her right hand holds a vajra and the left hand grasps a skull cup. A tantric staff is tucked in the crook of her left arm. Apsaras float on clouds above the central figures. The Five Dhyani Buddhas sit in a row at the top of the painting. In the lower register, the wrathful Mahakala is flanked by a monk performing a fire ritual and five kneeling donors.