Bodhisattva Vajrapani, Pala, Stone, Bihar, Eastern India, 10th century.

Bodhisattva Vajrapani is carved in high relief, seated relaxed in the "royal ease" rajalila posture on a rectangular lion-supported throne. He is clad in Bodhisattva ornaments and wears on his head a four-tiered crown surmounted by a half vajra. His right hand holds before the breast a vertical vajra, whilst the left hand rests over the left thigh making the chin mudra with the thumb and index finger. His symbol, the blue lotus, blooms at his left shoulder. The throne has a square back flanked with rearing lions and makara heads, whist celestial beings float above it. Behind the head is an oval aureole surmounted by an umbrella of honour. At the edge of the rounded top of the stella and on the umbrella is incised the Buddha creed, in tenth-century Devanagari characters. The inscription is incomplete, missing part at the top right.

A companion panel of the Goddess Tara in the Indian Museum, Calcutta has a dedicatory inscription dated to the year 910A.D.
"The first year of the rule of Gopaladeva II"


The Bodhisatva Vajrapani is carved in high relief, seated in the maharajalilasana (royal ease posture) on a cushion placed on a lion-throne (simhasana) on the back rest of which a leogryph is shown on each side with a makara-head on top, and above the makara-heads a kinnara (half human and half bird) pair is shown playing a drum and cymbals. Bodhisatva's left leg hangs down from the throne and rests on a small lotus. He wears various ornaments, a sacred thread (upavita) with pearls and a four-tiered crown (karanda-mukuta) surmounted by a half vajra. His right hand holds a vericalvajra in front of his chest, whilst the left hand holds the stalk of a blue lotus, his particular flower Behind his head there is an inscribed oval aureole (sirascakra) surmounted by an umbrella of honour.
At the ege of the rounded top of the stela and on the umbrella, the dharma-paryaya or the so-called Buddhist creed is engraved in siddhamratrka script. Below in the cavity of the pedestal at the proper right, close to the lion, a caitya-window symbol is given which may indicate that the sculpture originated in Kurkihar, Gaya district., Bihar.

Purchased Spinks £60

Nalanda, Bihar, Eastern India

This sculpture shows the Bodhisattva Vajrapani seated in the royal-ease (‘ajalilasana) posture on a lion-supported throne. (A bodhisattva is the name given to one on the path to becoming a buddha.). The handsome figure - beautifully poised, relaxed and dignified - is a classic expression of this royal posture.

He wears princely ornaments appropriate to a bodhisattva, including a four-tiered crown surmounted by a half vajra (thunderbolt), large ear ornaments, a torque and elaborate upper arm-bands. His right hand holds a vajra, the major symbol of his identity, to his chest. A further symbol, the blue lotus, blooms at his left shoulder.

The throne-back is adorned with rearing lions and fantastic makara heads, while female celestial beings (kinnari) appear above. Behind Vajrapani’s head is an oval aureole surmounted by an umbrella of honour. A devanagari script inscription in the nimbus cites Buddhist creeds. This is undated, but a companion panel of the Goddess Tara in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, has a dedicatory inscription dated to the first year of the rule of Gopaladeva II (equivalent to 910 CE).

Vajrapani, or at least his use of the thunderbolt sceptre symbol (vajra), is generally seen as having evolved from Indra, the ancient Vedic storm god. The vajra was therefore associated with a lightning strike. It was seen as a divine weapon and was used in Hindu tantrism where it was associated specifically with driving away evil forces and with vigour and the linga (the phallic symbol of the god Shiva). In Buddhist Vajrayana rites it was also seen as the indestructible element. This ancient symbol also found expression in the trisula, Shiva’s trident, to which it is related.

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