This sculpture presents Hevajra, a principal yidam of Vajrayana Buddhism, identified through a precise iconographic programme of multiple heads and sixteen arms arranged in a controlled, radiating field.
The figure stands in ardhaparyanka, a half-seated dance posture where one leg supports the body while the other lifts and folds across. The stance carries contained movement, directing energy upward through the torso and outward through the arms.
Above the central face rise successive crowned heads, aligned vertically. These extend the presence of the deity into a layered awareness while maintaining a unified expression. The faces remain composed, steady, and inwardly held.
The sixteen arms articulate the core of Hevajra’s iconography. In the right hands, animals are held within skull cups (kapalas), including forms such as the elephant, bull, and lion. These signify the transformation of primal drives and mental afflictions. In the left hands, the deity holds miniature human and divine figures that correspond to the “Eight Powers”, the elemental and cosmic principles of earth, water, fire, air, sun, moon, death, and wealth.
These are not separate domains but forces brought under awakened awareness within the Tantric framework. Ornamentation follows Southeast Asian metal traditions, with finely worked crowns, jewellery, and a patterned lower garment closely integrated with the body. The surface carries varied tonalities, lending depth to the form.
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