Deities and Devotion in Mongolian Buddhist Art

Gift of David Kamansky and Gerald Wheaton, 2014.23.360

Simhavaktra is considered by some to be the queen of the dakini. She has the head of a white snow lion and the body of a human woman. As here, she is typically portrayed in a dancing pose holding a ritual flaying knife, a skull cup filled with blood, and a skull-tipped tantric staff. She wears a five-skull crown and bone jewelry together with an elephant-skin cloak and a tiger-skin skirt. She is accompanied by her two attendants, the tiger-headed Vyaghravaktra and the bear-headed Rikshavaktra. In Mongolia, Simhavaktra was traditionally favored by the Nyingma School and was invoked especially for protection against witchcraft and necromancy.

References: Fleming, Zara (ed.). Mongolian Buddhist Art: Masterpieces from the Museums of Mongolia. Volume 1, Parts 1 & 2: Thangkas, Appliqués and Embroideries. Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2011, pp. 686-691; Meinert, Carmen (ed.). Buddha in the Yurt: Buddhist Art from Mongolia, Volumes 1 & 2. Munich: Hirmer Publishers, 2011, pp. 562-571; Kreijger, Hugo E. Tibetan Painting: The Jucker Collection. Boston: Shambala, 2001, pp. 118-119.