Hevajra and Nairatmaya 12-13th century

sculpture

natural stone pattern

3d sculpting

stone

sculpture

sculptural image

unrealistic statue

3d shape

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sculpture

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"Hevajra and Nairatmaya" is a 12-13th century stone sculpture, housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The piece depicts the deities Hevajra and Nairatmaya in an embrace, symbolizing the union of wisdom and compassion in Tibetan Buddhism. Hevajra is a wrathful deity, often depicted with multiple arms and heads, representing the power of enlightenment. Nairatmaya is his consort, who represents the feminine principle of wisdom. The sculpture's intricate carvings, with detailed figures and ornamentation, showcases the artistic skill of the anonymous artist and the artistic traditions of the period.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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This sculpture depicts the male Buddhist deity Hevajra in sexual embrace with the female deity Nairatmaya. While wrathful in appearance, he symbolizes compassion, and she wisdom: their union transcends opposites and dissolves into the great bliss of enlightenment. As practitioners of Vajrayana Buddhism meditated on this image, the soul was awakened to a higher level of consciousness, far from the everyday activities of mundane human existence. In this vigorous and crisp visualization, one sees the Buddhist deities astride the bodies of Brahmanical (Hindu) deities, a reference to the lively spiritual debates held at monastic centers of Northeast India.