Himalayan Art Resources

Buddhist Protector: Shri Devi Main Page

Shri Devi Masterworks

- Art History

- Iconography

- Religious Context


Videos:
- Shri Devi: Introduction
- Magzor Gyalmo
- Drashi Lhamo - Shri Devi
- Drashi Lhamo Update
- Shri Devi & Mahakala Mandala: HAR 215
- Shri Devi Earrings
- Two Early Magzor Gyalmo Paintings (HAR on Patreon)

Shri Devi is a category of female Tantric Buddhist deity. She is not one entity or personality. She is a category such as Buddha or Bodhisattva. Her primary function is a protector (Dharmapala) and specifically the principal female Wisdom Protector of Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhism. There are dozens of different variations and forms of Shri Devi. She is typically in wrathful appearance following the Indian model of a Rakshasi demon. In most occurrences and uses of Shri Devi, but not all, she is paired with a specific form of Mahakala.

There are three forms of Shri Devi which are most often found depicted in painting and sculpture:
- Shrimati Parvati Rajni (Magzor Gyalmo)
- Kamadhatvishvari (Dudsol Dokam Wangchugma)
- Dorje Rabtenma

Database Search: All Images | Paintings | Sculpture

Jeff Watt 3-2003 [updated 8-2006, 11-2016, 5-2017, 1-2019, 12-2019]

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