The Indian Buddhist Iconography
by Benoytosh Bhattachacharyya | 1958 | 51,392 words | ISBN-10: 8173053138 | ISBN-13: 9788173053139
This page contains an iconography image of Eight Gauri Group: Vetali and represents figure 202 of the book Indian Buddhist Iconography, based on extracts of the Sadhanamala English translation. These plates and illustrations represent either photographs of sculptures or line-drawing reproductions of paintings or other representations of Buddhist artwork.
Figure 202 - Eight Gaurī Group: Vetālī
Fig. 202: Vetālī
(Peiping)
The eight deities of the Gaurī group [viz., Vetālī] of goddesses are extremely popular in Vajrayāna and are found described in several places both in the Sadhānamālā as well as in the Niṣpannayogāvalī. These goddesses are represented also in the Chinese collection of statuettes in the city of Peiping. [...] All the deities are violent in character with fearful appearance and ornaments, and garlands of heads. They dance in Pratyālīḍha and show the raised index finger with clasped fist against the chest, as the common gesture.
3. Vetālī:
Colour: red;
Arms: two;
Symbol: chain;
The third goddess of the Gaurī group is Vetālī whose form is described in the Pañcaḍāka-maṇḍala (Niṣpannayogāvalī) in the following words: “Vetālī is red in colour and holds in her two hands the chain”. A statuette of this goddess under the name of Vajravetālī is found in the Chinese collection at Peiping l. Fig. 202 illustrates this Chinese statuette.