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Rooted in the depths of the Vedas, Tantra is a potent
spiritual science, a disciplined path toward supreme wisdom and
self-realization. Far from the misconceptions that cloud it, Tantra is a sacred
way of harnessing the primal energies that govern the cosmos. In Tantric art,
the invisible forces that course through the universe- Shakti, Kundalini, the
union of Shiva and Shakti are made visible, tangible, and worshipful. Each
statue in this collection is a crystallized mantra, a visual hymn to the profound
truths of existence. Serene or wrathful, miniature or grand, every form here is
charged with spiritual energy, crafted not just to be seen, but to be felt,
meditated upon, and revered.
This is the ancient study and philosophy of expanding yourself toward liberation. Every single being, every living creature, has a consciousness. That consciousness deepens as it meditates, making itself more subtle and less crude.
In this process, a being can become united with the All. People who practice tantra use techniques to do just that - merge with the universal consciousness at the basis of all things. To put it more concisely, tantra is the esoteric path found in Hinduism and Buddhism.
These are the hidden ways, the doors that are not for everyone to open. As it is involved with the individual having a direct experience of divinity, it is also considered a mystical school, perhaps the greatest and longest surviving of its kind in the entire world.
In the West,
tantra is sometimes limited to erotic practice. While there are ways for tantric
practitioners to use those energies for liberation, all desire of any kind can
be harnessed as a form of energy that can be wielded to liberate oneself from
desire altogether.
These tantric
sculptures can enliven and strengthen your own tantric practice. They are able
to connect you with the techniques and meditation necessary to walk this
esoteric path. What’s more, they are works of extraordinary artistic ability,
as beautiful as they are profound. Exotic India is happy to make these powerful
sculptures available to the world, from our artisans to you, wherever you are.
Choosing a tantric statue is an invitation to power,
protection, and transformation. It is a way in which you seek the most potent
blessings of the deity in your life.
Begin by identifying your spiritual intention:
🔶For
inner strength and awakening: You can choose statues of
deities like Shiva in Nataraja form,
goddess Kali or Ardhanarishwara roopa for continuous contemplation on deeper
truths of the universe.
🔶For
balance and harmony: The Ardhanarishvara statue embodies the union of masculine and feminine
energies. Additionally, you can welcome Shiva Lingam, Ganesha, with Shakti for
balancing the powers of masculine and feminine, or you can choose Navagraha
statues and crystal Sri Yantra for enhancing and protecting the auspiciousness
of a space.
🔶For
tantric rituals or meditation, Shiva Linga, Yantra, or a powerful iconography of Tantric gods and goddesses for a specific
ritual can be placed in your Puja ghar for regular worship.
Look for statues crafted with authentic iconography, ritual
precision, and sacred materials,
such as bronze, brass, or stone. Artisans from regions like Nepal and South
India follow traditional Agama and Vajrayana specifications, ensuring spiritual
accuracy, which is an essential part of a successful Sadhana.
Tantric statues are a divine, alive presence in your
space. Caring for them honors both the material and the metaphysical. In
addition to the usual care of the sculpture, it is important to make sure that
the natural energy of the deity is matched and elevated by your routine and
rituals.
For everyday care, follow these points:
🔶Dust the statue gently
with a clean cloth.
🔶Avoid chemical cleaners, especially on bronze or copper idols.
🔶Keep them dry unless they are part of water rituals (in which case, dry them properly afterwards).
🔶Recharge them spiritually
with incense, mantras, or light offerings.
🔶Do not keep the statue in an unclean area, dining spaces, or place it casually. Decide on the spot where you want to place the idol, and do not let is get cluttered.
🔶Store with reverence, never wrapped in plastic or discarded carelessly.
Yes, Tantric statues are potent spiritual idols that can be added to your interior decor as
a spiritual element. You can place a Tantric statue in:
🔶Yoga and meditation rooms
🔶Healing spaces or Reiki rooms
🔶Library corners with spiritual
texts
🔶Entrances to infuse protection
and energy
However, unlike casual decor, they should be placed with intent and respect. Each
form holds spiritual charge, and even when used for aesthetic ambiance, it is
best to place them mindfully, not as ornaments but as energetic focal points.
Due to the high energy and awe-inspring iconographies of Tantric statues, many people assume that there are rules of keeping them in your home. And they are right. However, the rules are meant to ensure that we are being mindful of the deity or imagery of the statue, and not to scare a dedicated, curious devotee away.
For anyone buying or
keeping a Tantric statue in their space, here are a few tips that will make
sure that you have a clear understanding and devout mindset:
🔶Place in clean, quiet spaces
free of clutter or distractions.
🔶Face east or northeast,
the most auspicious directions in Vastu and Tantra. For special rituals, the
direction may change (sometimes South is preferred); in these cases, it is
important to perform the ritual under a Guru with proper initiation and
understanding.
🔶Light incense or a diya occasionally, even if the statue is not used for ritual worship.
🔶Keep sacred texts or flowers
nearby to energize the space and add a sacred touch to its surroundings.
🔶Do
not place tantric statues in bedrooms or
bathrooms.
🔶Avoid
placing wrathful deities casually in
living or dining spaces.
🔶Don’t
keep broken or chipped idols; if
damaged, immerse or respectfully retire them.
🔶Avoid
positioning them directly on the floor;
always place them on a clean pedestal, cloth, or altar.
Our collection of Tantra statues is a gathering of rare aspects of deities, iconography based on Agamas and Yantras that make the divine power visible, all crafted in pure material.
A sacred embodiment of divine feminine and masculine energies, Ardhanarishvara unites Shiva and Shakti in one form, a form that captures the beginning of creation.
Rooted in ancient symbols and powered with mantras,
these rare sculptures align energies, protect from malefic influences, and
channel the positive energies of the space.
Goddess Kali, Tripura Sundari, Dashamahavidya
collections, Varahi, and Yoginis as well as rare icons of mother-goodess evoke
the many faces of Shakti, unleashing divine power, protection, and spiritual
awakening through sculptural perfection.
The Linga, a timeless Nirguna roopa of Shiva, holds a
central place in Tantric worship. These statues represent pure consciousness,
the formless source of creation and dissolution.
Crafted for ceremonial use, these statues include
ritual implements and deities vital to Tantric pujas. Each form is a bridge
between the material and the mystical, designed to energize sacred rites.
The dynamic creative force of the universe, Shakti,
takes many forms in these sculptures from Yoginis to Matrikas to Mahavidyas,
each exuding power, transformation, and the ecstatic pulse of Tantra.
These Tantric depictions of Shiva go beyond the
ascetic; they reveal him as the primal yogi, the cosmic dancer, and the master
of mystic union with Shakti, pulsating with divine intensity.
Infused with Vajrayana iconography, these statues
reflect the powerful teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, featuring deities,
Bodhisattvas, and protectors central to Tantric meditation and ritual.
These fierce deities, with flame-ringed forms and
terrifying beauty, are protectors of the sacred path. Wrathful statues embody
divine rage that destroys ignorance and clears karmic obstacles.
Visual mandalas carved in three dimensions, Yantra
statues are tools for meditative focus. Embodying sacred geometry, they channel
divine energy and unlock inner transcendence.
There are mainly two types of Tantras- Agama and
Nigama. Agama are the ones where Shiva is the speaker and Parvati is the
listener, and Nigama are the ones where goddess Parvati is the speaker and
Shiva is the listener.
The goal of the
Sadhaka (Tantric initiate) for performing a particular Tantric rite can range
from personal and material to spiritual and metaphysical. However, the best way
to summarize the purpose of Tantra is to understand its meaning. “Tantra” is
made up of two root words, “tan”, which means to expand, and “tran”, meaning to
protect. Thus, the essential goal of performing Tantra is to expand (tan) the
meaning of Shastra and to protect (tran) the performer.
Tantra is the
Antaranga (interior or personal) method of worship which believes in the
oneness of the divine and the soul and has its practices and rituals focused
around making the union of Aatman (soul) and Brahman (the supreme being)
possible. The term “Tantric” is used to characterize all the beliefs,
practices, and texts related to Tantra.
The basic
philosophy of Tantra is a combination of the Sankhya and Vedanta ideologies of
Hinduism. The Sankhya tradition puts faith in the primordial feminine energy,
known as Prakriti, as the material and active element in Srishti (creation).
Vedanta philosophy believes in Maya as the original element of the Universe,
which is beyond conception.
The Prakriti and
Maya of Sankhya and Tantra are united in Tantra as “Shakti”, or power, which is
feminine, active, and the origin of everything that surrounds us. The inactive
counterpart of Shakti is called “Shiva”, who is stable and Nirguna (devoid of discernible
qualities).
According to
Tantra, the dwelling place of Shiva and Shakti is the human body- Shakti
resides in Bija (higher level) and Shiva lives in the Bindu (lower level).
Tantric rituals are centered around the awakening of Shiva-Tattva (element of
Shiva) in the human body through the process of Kundalini Jaagaran (awakening
of innate energy) and its union with Shakti.
There are several
Tantric sects in Hinduism, three of them being the main strands- Vaishnava
Agama, Shaiva Agama, and Shakta Agama. Vaishnava Agama or Tantra worships Sri
Vishnu-Narayana as the tutelary deity, Shaiva Agama puts Mahadeva on the
highest pedestal, and Shakta Tantra evokes Shakti, Devi, or the great mother
goddess as the sovereign universal power.
Based on all these
Tantra and their beliefs, however, is the quest to find “Shakti” residing
within the human self, thus the “Parama Tattva” or the supreme essence of the
Universe is Shakti or Mahashakti, whose presence as the counterpart of Vishnu
in Vaishnava Agama, Shiva in Shaiva Agama and as Shakti independently in Shakta
Tantra is the primal aim of all Tantric Sadhaka.
The sphere of
Tantra is extensive and rich in contributions made by great Hindu-Tantric
scholars who emerged in different periods, and various geographical locations
and were affiliated with a variety of Tantric sects, thus finding the source of
Tantra in the human realm has remained an unfinished quest.
The beginning of
Tantra can be linked to the interactions between Shiva and Shakti in the
metaphysical dominion over a vast array of themes related to the supreme
consciousness. These interactions gave rise to two categories of texts- Agama
and Nigama.
Agama texts
contain Shiva’s dialogues with Shakti and Nigama collections pertain to
Shakti’s utterances directed at Shiva. The Agama and Nigama are at the core of
Tantra, thus making the united Shiva-Shakti, primordial male and female, the
ultimate architects of Tantra.
Deities are
frequently portrayed with multiple arms to visually represent their supreme and
immense powers to perform several feats at the same time. While other objects
in hands are generally symbols of different spheres of human/spiritual life.
🔶The four aspects of Hindu psychology are the mind (manas), the intellect
(buddhi), the ego (ahamkara), and consciousness (cit).
🔶The four levels of consciousness- waking (jagrata), dream (Swapna),
subconsciousness (susupti), and transcendental consciousness (turiya).
🔶The four essential components of dharma are truth (Satya), meditation (tapa),
compassion (daya), and charity (dana). Four goals of the Hindu way of life -
dharma, kama, artha, and moksha.
The 8 arms
represent the eight divine preserving powers (sakti) which are; health
(arogya), knowledge (jnana), wealth (dhana), organization (sampadanam),
cooperation (sahodyogaḥ), fame (kirti), courage (dhrti), and Truth
(satyatha)
Panchamakara
in Tantra are the five Ms- matsya (fish), mudra (grain), mamsa (meat), madya
(alcohol), and maithuna (sexual union). Often misunderstood and misused for
indulgence, according to Tantric masters, this aspect of Tantra is limited for
only the most apt and learned Tantra Sadhaka, and is a means to sensory control
and purification.
A female
Tantric is called Yogini (a female Sadhaka). She is the embodiment of Shakti,
the supreme feminine, and holds a revered place in Tantra Sadhana.
Shiva and
Parvati or Shakti (in all her aspects) are the origin of Tantra, and the
primary god and goddess worshipped by Tantra Sadhaka. However, there are also
classifications of Shaiva, Shakta, and Vaishnava (those who worship Lord
Vishnu) Agamas. Similarly, there is Buddhist Tantras or Vajrayana, which has
its own set of deities such as Vajrayogini, Vajrasattva, Dakinis, Tara in her
various forms, and more, and specialised ritual practices.
Experiencing
these statues is a moment of experiencing the sacred. Each statue here vibrates
with the mantras that inspired the artist to craft them and with the devotion
of the Sadhaka who is going to rever them. For those who seek a portal to the
divine, this curated collection is the place to begin. Explore these Tantra
statues and let the idol you choose be the teacher, the path, and the fruit of
your Sadhana.
