Himalayan-Buddhist-Statues

We take much joy and happiness in trying to bring wonderful Buddhist statues to Vajrayana practitioners. We have carefully curated Buddhist statues with accurate iconographic details and the essence of trans Himalayan culture that has been dominant for more than 1400 years.

For a practitioner who is on the path to their spiritual journey, our statues can be a subtle vehicle of teaching and guidance.

Vajrayana, as we’re all well aware, is the most visually intense form of Buddhism. It is one of the most colorful and dramatic artistic traditions of the world. Within it, the statue is another form and means for the communication of spiritual themes. The offering of a statue is a means of accumulating merit, either for an individual, family, or someone in need. Combined with the practices transmitted through textual and oral traditions, the artistic works serve to express both the conceptual and the non- conceptual realizations.

Kathmandu Valley has been a great center for Vajrayana Buddhist practitioners. We have accounts of the great Indian Mahasiddhas arriving, staying, and spreading their wisdom at different places of Nepal, along with transmitting the Tantric initiations to Nepalese pundits before making their way into Tibet. Likewise, there were extensive lineage transmissions of the Tantric teachings, which include the Nepalese Tantrics who went to Tibet to confer initiation. And many Tibetan teachers came to Nepal to study with the renowned Nepalese masters and received empowerments. They also learnt Sanskrit and translated the sacred texts into Tibetan with their help. Among others, the most notable were the three great Indian teachers who visited Nepal on their way to Tibet during the First Propagation.

Shantarakshita was one of these rather influential teachers. He stayed in Nepal for six years, from 743 to 749 before he began his journey to Tibet during the First Propagation. His disciple, the infamous Mahaguru Padmasambhava (717-775) lived in the Kathmandu Valley for four years in a cave at Pharping. The last Indian teacher of the First Propagation was Kamalashila, who also lived in Nepal for a year and was known to have worshiped at Swayambhunath Stupa.

Similar to the great Buddhist centers of Nalanda, Vikramashila, and Oddantipur, historically, remains a central hub for the transmission of Buddhism into Tibet; and as a bridge between northeast India and Tibet in terms of artistic influence. The small, fertile valley consists of the three cities of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur - the locus of Vajrayana Buddhism. This form of Buddhism serves as the last remaining legacy of Sanskrit Buddhism. It is, to this day, actively practiced within a South Asian cultural context.

Indeed, with the expanse of more than 500 Buddhist centers and temples, our valley can be regarded as an open museum, serving as a witness for the great artistic creativity. Through the centuries, the commissions for the royals and the Tibetan patrons were fulfilled by the Buddhist artists of Nepal. Nepalese Buddhist artistry managed to reach new heights when they were commissioned to build the Jokhang in Lhasa, Tibet. It was during that time, legend says, that the Nepalese princess Bhrikuti, Daughter of King Anshuverma, took several artists along with her to Tibet.

Likewise, the Chinese ambassador Wang XuanZe, from the Tang dynasty (618-906), describes the royal palace, commenting meticulously on the artistry and aesthetic of Nepalese architecture:

“In the middle of the palace, there is a tower of seven stories, roofed with copper tiles. Its balustrade, grilles, columns, beams, and everything therein are set with gems and semi-precious stones. At each corner of the tower, there descends a copper water pipe, at the base of which is spouted four golden dragons.”

For the most part, the monastic community of the Vajracharya and Shakyas is the Valley's craftsmen: carvers of stone, wood, and ivory, painters, and highly skilled metalworkers, goldsmiths, and silversmiths. Particularly, the metalworkers from Nepal have earned their name as some of the finest craftsmen ever. These occupations have led many members of this monastic caste to serve as itinerant artists in Tibet, commissioned to work for monasteries throughout Central Tibet, in Lhasa, Sakya, and Samye.

To this day, our craftsmanship is recognized and acknowledged for its aesthetic refinement and iconographic preciseness. And it is our huge honor to bring the same legacy, tradition, art, and finest artistry of Buddhist statues from Kathmandu valley to all the Vajrayana practitioners.