Skip to main content
The three-faced and six-armed Yogambara holds a vajra (thunderbolt scepter) and a gantha (bell) in two main hands. A lower right hand holds a skull cup. His consort, Jnana Dakini, also has three faces and two arms that embrace him. Both deities are adorned with crowns and necklaces and sit on a lotus pedestal.
Yogambara with Consort Jnana Dakini
OriginNepal
Date15th century
Dimensions4 3/8 × 4 5/8 × 4 5/8 in.
MediumGilt copper alloy
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2005.16.42
Himalayan Art Resources Number65465
DescriptionThis depiction of an embrace of two deities represents the essential symbolism of Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism, which has roots in Indian tantric practices centered on mother goddesses and worship of Shiva. As texts of the Vajrayana tradition explain, Buddhists aim to attain the awakened state or enlightenment through unconventional means. A female deity represents the wisdom of understanding reality, while the male deity represents method, or compassionate action. Their union merges two aspects of the practice necessary for complete awakening.The three-faced and six-armed Yogambara holds a vajra (thunderbolt scepter) and a gantha (bell) in two main hands. A lower right hand holds a skull cup. His consort, Jnana Dakini, also has three faces and two arms that embrace him. Both deities are adorned with crowns and necklaces and sit on a lotus pedestal.
15th century
mid-19th century
20th century
18th - 19th century
19th century
14th century
19th century
early 17th century (ca. 1604)
17th century
late 18th century
2012-2013
14th or 16th - 17th century