Gold-Gilded Standing Vajrapani
Material: Bronze
Origin: Nepal
Height: 26.5 cm
Code: VS-027
Vajrapani represents the power of all the Buddhas to subdue demons in a skillful manner. Varapani can be represented in both a peaceful or wrathful form.
In a wrathful form, this statue stands in a warrior pose (Pratyalidhasana) with right leg bent and left leg extended. His muscular body stands on a sun-disc above an oval lotus pedestal. His right hand raises a thunderbolt (vajra or dorje) while his left hand holds a rope (lasso) in a threatening gesture. His hair stands on the ends and are usually painted reddish orange. His face is painted in cold gold with three eyes, bushy eyebrows, mustache and beard. His mouth is opened with a snarl, revealing his pointed fangs. He wears a five-leaf crown decorated with a floral wheel. This is unusual as most wrathful forms wear a crown of five skulls. He adorns eight serpents, one as a long garland hanging over his neck and with the rest encircles his arms, wrists and ankles. Knotted below his buldging belly is the skin of a tiger with its paws dangling over, and tiger head covering is right thigh. There is a free-flowing scarf rises up ;ole a halo behind his head.
In Tantrayana, Manjushri, Chenrezig and Vajrapani represent wisdom, compassion and power (action) respectively. They are commonly known as a trinity or rigsum gonpo in tibetan.