Ritual Crown
Headdress
49-24-1
From: Tibet | Ladakh
Curatorial Section: Asian
| Native Name | Chodpau |
| Object Number | 49-24-1 |
| Current Location | Collections Storage |
| Culture | Tibetan | Buddhist |
| Provenience | Tibet | Ladakh |
| Date Made | 19th Century |
| Section | Asian |
| Materials | Leather | Pigment |
| Technique | Painted |
| Iconography | Dhyani Buddhas | Akshobhya Buddha | Amitabha Buddha | Vairochana Buddha | Ratna Sambhava Buddha | Amoghasiddhi Buddha | Horse | Lion | Elephant | Peacock | Kinnara | Jewel | Wheel | Thunderbolt | Lotus |
| Description | Chodpau, ritual crown. Five panels of leather painted with representations of Buddhas. This five-peaked crown is worn by lamas during ceremonies as the Yamataka (Conqueror of Death), a ceremony which exorcised the human emotions of anger, avarice, lust, and envy. This particular crown is painted with a representation of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, a theme common to esoteric Buddhism. Left to right are Ratna Sambhava, south, horse, holy jewel; Vairocana, center, lion, wheel; Akshoby, east, elephant, thunderbolt; Amitabha, west, peacock, lotus; and Amoghasiddha, north Kinnara (man-bird), double thunderbolt. Each with their associated symbols, some of which have been lost elsewhere. Very old and very rare, but in bad condition. |
| Credit Line | Gift of Schuyler V. R. Cammann, 1949 |
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