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Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali
Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali
Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali

Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali

OriginMongolia
Date18th - 19th century
Dimensions14 1/8 × 12 5/8 × 5 3/4 in.
MediumGilt copper alloy
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2005.25.1
Himalayan Art Resources Number68853
DescriptionVajrabhairava is a prominent deity in the Sakya and Gelug Tibetan Buddhist traditions. He is considered to be the wrathful emanation of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Manjushri. He took on this form by reflecting back the terrifying nature of the Lord of Death, Yama, thus overwhelming and subduing Yama, who became a protector of the Buddhist faith. In Vajrabhairava, Yama’s form, with a buffalo head and thirty-four hands wielding different implements, is topped by the head of Manjushri, signifying the deity’s true nature.
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