Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Ushnishavijaya (Buddhist Deity) - (three faces, eight arms)

གཙུག་གཏོར་རྣམ་པར་རྒྱལ་མ། ཚེ་ལྷ། 尊圣佛母(本尊)
(item no. 12416)
Origin Location Bhutan
Date Range 1800 - 1899
Lineages Kagyu, Drukpa (Kagyu, Bhutan) and Buddhist
Material Ground: Textile Image, Applique
Collection Private
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Deity

Appearance: Peaceful

Gender: Female

Interpretation / Description

Ushnishavijaya (Tibetan: tsug tor nam par gyal ma. English: Victorious Crown Ornament): goddess of long-life, white in colour, with three faces and eight hands, seated inside an architectural structure called a stupa, or chaitya.

"...Ushnishavijaya, the colour of an autumn moon, with three faces, white, yellow and blue and eight hands. Each face has three very large eyes. The first right hand holds a vishvavajra, second a white lotus with Amitabha [Buddha] residing, third an arrow and the fourth in [the gesture of] supreme generosity. The first left holds a vajra lasso, second a bow, third [in the gesture of] bestowing protection and fourth in [the gesture of] meditative equipoise holding an auspicious nectar vase; complete with silks and jewel ornaments, seated in [vajra] posture." (Jamyang Kyentse Wangpo, 1820-1892).

At the top center is Shakyamuni Buddha. To thh viewer's left sits Shabdrung Ngagwang Namgyal. At the top right and bottom center are two unidentified Bhutanese teachers wearing monastic robes and the fan-like hat typical of the Drugpa Kagyu tradition.

At the bottom left is Vaishravana Riding a Lion. On the right side is Dorje Yudronma.

Jeff Watt 8-2017

Secondary Images
Related Items
Thematic Sets
Region: Bhutan, Textiles
Buddhist Deity: Ushnishavijaya Main Page
Collection: Bonhams Hong Kong (Painting. October, 2017)
Collection: Sotheby's, Jucker Collection (Painting, March, 2006, New York)
Textile: Applique Artwork Main Page
Textile: Main Page