Thangka - Bodhisattva Vajrapani In Yab Yum - Nepal Or Tibet / Tangka Thanka Tanka

A thangka is a Tibetan painting using mineral pigments on cotton, silk or canvas. It is also one of the main meditation tools in Buddhist practice.

This beautiful thangka represents the bodhisattva Vajrapāņi in Yab Yum in a landscape populated by orants and apsaras.

Vajrapani is one of the eight great bodhisattvas of vajrayāna. He appears as early as the 2nd century in the iconography mahāyāna as gifted with great strength and as protector of the Buddha, "as powerful as an elephant". He is said to have watched over Shākyamuni when he was born. Similarly, it is claimed that he was the one who protected the Buddha from a landslide during his preaching at Vulture Peak.

He can also be seen as the wrathful form of Vajrasattva or Vajradhara. He then has the appearance of a fierce protective deity that keeps demons at bay and helps the meditator to overcome negative thoughts. Like Vajrasattva, he is "Lord of Secrets". An emanation of the primordial Buddha Vajradhara or Samantabhadra, he concentrates within himself the wisdom and strength of all the Buddhas.

Blue in colour, with a face and two arms, he holds in his right hand a golden vajra sceptre and in his left hand a bell with a vajra handle. A third eye opens on his forehead. Represented here in yab yum, the union between a male deity (yab) and his shakti (yum) symbolising the interweaving of male and female principles, he embraces his female companion.

Dimensions:
At sight: 54 x 37 cm.
Framing: 71 x 54 cm.