TANTRIC STATUES

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.

What is tantra?

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.

How to Choose a Tantric Statue?

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.

How to Care for a Tantric Statue?

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.

Can I Use a Tantric Statue as Spiritual Decor?

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.

Dos and Don’ts of Placing a Tantric Statue in Your Home

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:

Dos:

🔶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.

Don’ts:

🔶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.

Ardhanarishvara

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.

Astrological

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

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.

Shiva Linga

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.

Ritual

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.

Shakti

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.

Shiva

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.

Tibetan Buddhism

Infused with Vajrayana iconography, these statues reflect the powerful teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, featuring deities, Bodhisattvas, and protectors central to Tantric meditation and ritual.

Wrathful

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.

Yantra

Visual mandalas carved in three dimensions, Yantra statues are tools for meditative focus. Embodying sacred geometry, they channel divine energy and unlock inner transcendence.

FAQs

Q1. How many types of Tantras are there?

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.

Q2. Why is Tantra performed?

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.

Q3. What is the difference between Tantra and Tantric?

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.

Q4. What is the belief of 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.

Q5. Who is the god of Tantra?

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.

Q6. Who invented Tantra?

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.

Q7. Why do Hindu statues have multiple arms?

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 arms represent:—

🔶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)

Q8. What is Panchamakara in Tantra?

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.

Q9. What is a female Tantric called?

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.

Q10. Which God is worshipped in Tantra?

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.