Pair of book covers with Buddhist deities
Not on view
The upper cover shows the most important Mahayana Buddhist deities: at center is the Buddha attaining enlightenment; at his right are the bodhisattvas Manjushri and Vajrapani; at his left sit Shadakshari Lokeshvara and Tara. Together, these deities represent enlightenment, compassion, correct method and practice, and protection from worldly harm. The lower cover, in contrast, illustrates fierce protective deities flanking a central bodhisattva: Achala and Marichi at his right, and Mahapratisara and Mahakala at his left. Although these deities from the esoteric Vajrayana tradition appear in north Indian sculptures and manuscript illustrations, only in Tibet are they grouped in a set as here.
On view from May 1– October 30, 2022
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