In this superb painting, she displays her hands and legs in multiple rows, including a tall stack of heads. Her impressive and awesome appearance is bolstered by her vigorous posture, emphasized by her wide brocade tent like skirt and long twisting silk scarves. Moreover she is adorned with celestial ornaments, and sash. Her slightly fierce mien does not outweigh the beauty of her form, her white color, and refinement of her oval face, idealized features. Her main right hand is holding a mirror and her remaining right hands are holding mirror, vishva-vajra, flower, and many of them are in threatening gestures.
Her main left hand is holding her namesake, the staff of the parasol of protection, with many fluttering ribbons. Her remaining left hands are holding arrows, bows, axes, swords and snakes. Beneath the broad fan-shaped spread of her feet lie swarms of squirming bodies of the world's evil ones demonic rulers, military men, and demigods as well as dragon, flying rocks, animals and birds etc., all of which she keeps under control. Thus the devotees who worship her are always free from the shadow of evil spirits and led a peaceful and prosperous life. Behind her is a flaming aureole.
The upper corners are beautifully rendered with offering deities, while the lower left corner with Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of wisdom, and the right corner with a wrathful Heruka.
Ushnishasitatapattra is a very popular deity in Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, especially with the Gelupa Order. She is often given a prominent position among the wall painting in Gelupa monasteries, such as Drepung in Lhasa.
The painting is evidently been made by a very skillful and experienced artiste who has managed to execute each one of Ushnishasitatapattra's thousand arms by arranging them as a kind of aureole surrounding the goddess. The thousand heads and legs are rendered conventionally. This type of painting is scarcely found in the general art marts.
The present painting is very much suitable for sadhana and esoteric practices of all levels.
Select Bibliography
A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962
B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography,Calcutta, 1968
Hugo E. Kreijger, Kathmandu Valley Painting: The Jucker Collection, London, 1999
J.C. Huntington and D. Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, Ohio, 2004
Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A.F. Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet New York, 1997
This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)".
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