The iconography

“Yamantaka is an important deity in both the ‘old’ and ‘new’ Tantra traditions. The clear and penetrating wisdom of Yamantaka is the slayer of death.” ~ Karma Thinley Rinpoche

According to R. P. Anuruddha:

“During the late Gandhara period (circa 6th century C.E), which we may regard as the time in which the first attempts were made to elaborate a rich figurative mythology of Mahayana Buddhism, occurred a tendency to divide the Tutelary Deities (istadevatas or yidams) into angry and mild forms.”

He continues:

“The Yidams are represented in their fierce forms with hair standing on end, with wild-looking, outstanding eyes (and the ‘third eye’, the Eye of Wisdom in the middle of the forehead, between the two eye-brows), the hanging-out tongue, terrible teeth, and a short body, thick members and long nails on hands and feet.”

The Guhyasamaja Tantra describes a scenario in which the (Tantric) Buddha emanates an initiatory mandala, placing four forms of Yamantaka in the four “gates”.

The form of Yamantaka, placed in the all-important East, from which direction the sun rises, is associated with the right arm of the practitioner (Sadhaka) in the system of the Guhyasamaja Tantra. Anuruddha gives the following description of Yamantaka as given in the Sri Mahabhairava Tantra of the Kangjur:

“The figure should have 16 feet, 14 pairs of hands, 9 heads. It is naked and of black color, the feet are in the walking attitude and of terrible sight, in such a way he must paint the picture. The first head in the center of the Yidam is that of a bull, and beside the right horn there are three faces, a blue, a red and a yellow one. All three are very fierce looking. Beside the left horn of the bull’s face there should be painted a white, a grey and a black face. Between the two horns there should be a terrible looking red face, and above it a mildly angry face of Manjusri. The hands of the Yidam hold the knife (gri-gug), a pointed weapon, a pestle, another knife, a dagger with the handle in the shape of a vajra, an axe and a conch-shell, an arrow and an iron hook, a cart stone, the club khatvanga, a chakra, a vajra, and a stone hammer, a sword, a damaru (hand-drum in the shape of an hour-glass); the left hands hold a human skull, a hand, a shield, a leg, a lasso, a bow, intestines, a bell, a hand, cloth from a cemetery, a man hanging upon a lance, an oven, a piece of a skull, a menacing finger, a trident with ribbons, a waving piece of cloth, etc. etc.”

Though this description does not precisely conform to the Barnard Yamantaka, which has more arms and attributes, it is very close.

Three main forms of Yamantaka are revered by Tibetans: Vajrabhairava Yamantaka, who is multicolored; Raktayamari, who is red colored, and Krishnayamari, who is black color. Tibetan paintings of Yama as the “King of the Death Lords”, usually depict him with a bull’s head, three-eyed, mouth open and tongue lolling, standing naked upon a bull and with his red penis erect. He wears the ornaments of a Dharma-Protector plus a garland of heads and holds a staff or noose. Other versions show him accompanied by his sister Yami, who is generally called “Tsamundi” (Chamunda) in the liturgy. Yama can also be seen in sexual union with a consort much like him, but of diminutive size.