Twelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort Vajravarahi

Twelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort Vajravarahi

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A popular Vajrayana deity in Bengal and Bangladesh, Chakrasamvara holds a range of weapons and stands in sexual embrace with his consort Vajravarahi on the prone bodies of two demons. The Chakrasamvara Tantra (a tantric text devoted to this deity) allowed a learned practitioner to invoke this fierce protector in times of need, perhaps explaining his popularity in Nepal and Tibet.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Twelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort VajravarahiTwelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort VajravarahiTwelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort VajravarahiTwelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort VajravarahiTwelve-Armed Chakrasamvara and His Consort Vajravarahi

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.