Nepali Kurukulla Gold-plated Copper Buddhist Statue

Master Nepali craftsman created this wonderful gold-plated copper Kurukulla statue. Her ears have inlaid turquoise. Kurukulla is a female, peaceful to semi-wrathful Yidam in Tibetan Buddhism, particularly associated with rites of magnetization or enchantment. Kurukulla is a goddess whose body is usually depicted in red with four arms, holding a bow and arrow made of flowers in one pair of hands and a hook and noose of flowers in the other pair.

She dances in a Dakini-pose and crushes the asura Rahu (the one who devours the sun). Rahu is a snake with a demon head who represents the ascending lunar node. Kurukulla was likely an Indian tribal deity associated with magical domination.

She was assimilated into the Buddhist pantheon at least as early as the Hevajra Tantra, which contains her mantra. Her function in Tibetan Buddhism is the "red" function of subjugation.

Her root tantra is the Arya-tara-kurukulle-kalpa (Practices of the Noble Tara Kurukulla).

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