Himalayan Art Resources

Buddhist Deity: Vajradhara (with Three Eyes)

Vajradhara Iconography

Generally the deities Vajradhara and Vajrasattva only have the standard two eyes. However, there are some examples of Vajradhara with three eyes. When the deity appears in a painting it is usually easy to identify and distinguish between Vajradhara and Vajrasattva by colour and context. With sculpture it is much more difficult since both deities can have the same iconographic form.

It is possible that HAR #44026 is a form of Vajrasattva Heruka or Orgyan Dorje Chang - one of the eight forms of Padmasambhava.

Jeff Watt 6-2013