Twelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort Vajravarahi

India (West Bengal) or Bangladesh

Not on view

A popular Vajrayana deity in eastern India, Chakrasamvara here holds a range of weapons and stands in a sexual embrace with his consort Vajravarahi atop two demons. The Chakrasamvara Tantra text emerged in the eighth or ninth century and clearly links to the quasi-heretical Kapalika sect’s esoteric conceptions of the Hindu god Shiva. Small sculptures like this one freely moved across north India and Bangladesh, making their way to Tibet, giving these refined representations outsized importance.

Twelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort Vajravarahi, Phyllite, India (West Bengal) or Bangladesh

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Twelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort Vajravarahi, Phyllite, India (West Bengal) or Bangladesh
Twelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort Vajravarahi, Phyllite, India (West Bengal) or Bangladesh

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