HAYAGRIVA WITH HIS CONSORT
Description
THE horse-headed god Hayagriva is both a tutelary form and a tantric concept, worshipped either as Dharmapala, the protector of faith or as Yidam, the tutelary deity, popular mainly in Tibet, Nepal, China and Japan. The deity is represented here in the Yab-Yum composition with his female counterpart Prajna. Yab-Yum is variously expressed as the merging of duality into oneness or a whole, as the father and mother, as merging of the two opposites or as the union of two forces namely, insight and compassion, symbolizing the state of Bodhichitta.
Hayagriva and Prajna are standing in an embrace with her left leg passing around his waist. The three-faced Hayagriva with six arms and four legs stands in Pratyalidha posture on two prostrate Nagas, holding a vajra, kapala, khadga, padma and an arrow. The sixth attribute is missing. His female counterpart holds the kapala and probably karttrika a cleaver. The three-faced god has three eyes each with a horse head on top, on the crown. He is clad with a tiger skin while his Prajna has a bone apron tied around her waist. Their faces are painted with gold and the horse-heads are painted in green. There is an inscription on the rear part of the pedestal which reads:
“These yuga-naddha image of the tutelary deity Dhyanagriva (Hayagriva) for the prosperity of the donor and his family and also for the attainment of the riches and Bodhihood, was caused to be made by Punyavardha at nPhigan (Dhigam ?).”
The inscription confirms that this Hayagriva is treated here as Yi-dam.
Collection
Himalayan Art
Object Type
Figurine
Material
Bronze
Schools/Culture/Period
--
Technique
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Date
13th century CE
Location
Tibet
Dimension
13.5 x 11 x 5 cms.