A bronze figure of the goddess Dombini

A bronze figure of the goddess Dombini

Northeastern India or Tibet, Pala style, 12th century

4 1/3 in. (11 cm.) high

Published: Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 8042.

During Hevajra mandala practices one generates an image or experience of themselves as the tantric deity Hevajra in their minds eye and the syllable HUM radiating from their heart’s center. From there one projects the nine-deity mandala of which this goddess is a part. Dombini is one of eight female goddesses that surround Hevajra. One imagines that offerings are made by these goddesses who issue from the HUM.

See how the goddess Dombini is depicted in a painted mandala (left)–multihued with the five colors of the tantric buddhas and buddha families.

Nine-deity Mandala of Two-armed Hevajra

Tsang Provence, central Tibet; 15th century

Pigments on cloth

Rubin Museum of Art, C2002.24.7 (HAR 65123)

Comparable Work

Compare the present goddess to a twelfth-century Hevjra lotus mandala fragment depicting the retinue goddess Chandali, which sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 7 October 2019, lot 921. The deity is crafted with identical flaming hair, sharp facial features, a ropelike garland of severed heads, and a stippled lower garment. The present figure, however, is quite a bit larger as a stand-alone figure which would have been a part of a set of figures comprising the nine-deity mandala of Hevajra.

A Silver Inlaid Brass Figure of Chandali From A Hevajra Lotus Mandala

Northeastern India, Pala Period, 11th/12th Century

15.9 cm (6 1/4 in.) high Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 16722