Buddhist Protector: Shri Devi, Magzor Gyalmo Iconography

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Magzor Gyalmo Main Page

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Outline
- Introduction
- With Retinue
- With Palace
- Confusions: Dorje Rabtenma
- Others...

Videos:
- Magzor Gyalmo
- Two Early Magzor Gyalmo Paintings (HAR on Patreon)
- Shri Devi: Introduction

Description:
- Female
- Wrathful
- Black
- Vajra stick & skullcup
- Mule
- Attendants: two & four

Description of Magzor Gyalmo: "... Shri Devi Remati, Queen of the Army Repelling Weapons, riding a mule, blue-black in colour, with one face and two hands, having bared fangs and gnashing down on a human corpse. Possessing three round red eyes, and the forehead furrowed into a frown, brown hair flowing upwards with licks of flame and smoke issuing forth. The right ear is adorned with a poisonous snake and the left with a lion, crowned with five dry human skulls and a necklace of fifty blood dripping wet [heads] strung with intestines. ... having a lower garment of tiger skin, a snake belt and necklace, etc. The right hand holds to the sky a sandalwood stick marked with a vajra. The left holds to the heart a mustard seed and blood filled skullcup. ... At the level of the navel is a sun and at the crown of the head a crescent moon; above the head is a peacock parasol canopy." (Sharchen Champa Kunga Tashi 1558-1603, TBRC P778. Drub Tab Kun Tu vol.9, pp.606-607. TBRC W19221).

Among the many forms of Shri Devi, the specific form of Magzor Gyalmo, blue-black and wrathful, is recognized by having one face and two hands, holding aloft with the right hand a vajra tipped staff and in the left a skullcup held to the heart. She rides side-saddle atop a mule. Above her head is a large peacock feather parasol. In the Sakya and related Traditions there is a snake ornament for the right ear and a lion for the left. In the Gelug Tradition this is reversed and the lion is an ornament for the right and the snake for the left. According to the lunar calendar the special day for worship of Magzor Gyalmo is the 14th of the month.

The textual source for Magzor Gyalmo is the Dakinyagnijihajvala Tantra, Dege Kanjur, volume 98, pp.223-253. It is found in the Nyingma Tantra section, vol.3. TBRC w22084.

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Jeff Watt 5-2003 [updated 5-2017, 12-2019]

(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).