Yamantaka, Destroyer of the God of Death early 18th century Tibet This image of a wrathful protector of Buddhism would have been an awesome presence in the dimly lit interior of a Tibetan monastery. Yamantaka is a violent aspect of the Bodhisattva Manjushri, who assumes this form to vanquish Yama, the god of death. By defeating Yama, the cycle of rebirths (samsara) that prevents enlightenment is broken. Yamantaka, who shares many attributes with Mahakala, is identified by his blue skin and the array of attributes displayed here. He is encircled by five smaller manifestations, each a Yama-conqu

Yamantaka, Destroyer of the God of Death early 18th century Tibet This image of a wrathful protector of Buddhism would have been an awesome presence in the dimly lit interior of a Tibetan monastery. Yamantaka is a violent aspect of the Bodhisattva Manjushri, who assumes this form to vanquish Yama, the god of death. By defeating Yama, the cycle of rebirths (samsara) that prevents enlightenment is broken. Yamantaka, who shares many attributes with Mahakala, is identified by his blue skin and the array of attributes displayed here. He is encircled by five smaller manifestations, each a Yama-conqueror riding a buffalo. An inscription on the reverse indicates the work was commissioned in honor of the donor’s lama. Flanking the uppermost Yama-conqueror are two pairs of lamas, tentatively identified as the Panchen Lama (left) and Atisha accompanied by attending lamas. Listen to experts illuminate this artwork's story Listen Play or pause #7984. Yamantaka, Destroyer of the God of Death Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. We are working to make it available as soon as Yamantaka, Destroyer of the God of Death 37807

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