VAJRAPANI (GOLD)

A powerful pure gold Tibetan style thangkapainting of the Bodhisattva Vajrapani. Vajrapani can be seen as a Buddhist counterpart to the Hindu god Indra, and his name derives from the vajra, or thunderbolt, which he holds in his right hand and which is also associated with Indra, as well as Zeus and Thor. The vajra is a fitting attribute for Vajrapani as he is the Bodhisattva of Power, power here referring to the power of compassion or enlightenment. This image depicts Vajrapani standing in warrior posture in his typical tiger skin, garlanded with a snake, with a vajra in his right hand and his left hand in vitarka (threatening) mudra. His eyebrows and facial hair are flame-like, his mouth wild. The gold work on the flames which surround him is masterful. The overall effect of the painting is to ‘convey powerfully the force and vitality of enlightened energy as it combats ignorance, greed, fear and other delusions’ (Min Bahadur Shakya ‘The Iconography of Nepalese Buddhism').

VAJRAPANI (GOLD)
Artist Name:
Painting size:	55cm X 40cm

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