Mandala of Vajravarahi

Vajravarahi is rendered in a vibrant red hue against a matching red mandorla, depicted as a semi-wrathful female deity with a third eye on her forehead. She is adorned in traditional jewelry, including a crown, necklaces, and bangles, and a garland of skulls draped across her body. Her right leg is lifted in a dance step while her left foot presses down on a prone, light-skinned figure lying on a base. She wears a skull crown and holds a kartika (flaying knife) aloft, while her left hand cradles a kapala (skull cup) at chest level; a khatvanga (ritual staff) is tucked into the crook of her left arm.

Vajravarahi is a central deity in the Chakrasamvara Tantra and represents the embodiment of emptiness and wisdom in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. Her iconography, specifically the dancing pose upon a corpse, symbolizes the triumph over ego and the duality of samsara.