Description
A casual visitor will be surprised to see the large number of both peaceful and wrathful looking deities in Kathmandu valley. He will even be doubtful if these are Buddhist at all. Because in Theravada Buddhist tradition they are famliar with the image of Shakyamuni Buddha, Dharmacakra symbol,stupa, or some devas connected with Buddha legends. However, this is not the case in Kathmandu valley or in Nepal. The form of Buddhism is Vajrayana which traditional Buddhists believed to have been delivered by Shakyamuni Buddha himself.This form of Buddhism was fully developed in India at Nalanda and Vikramashila monasteries and it was fully dissiminated in Nepal and Tibet. People in these countries have preserved its spritual traditions through centuries and had produced a unique Buddhist culture and civilization through arts and paintings. These artistic paintings and sculptures are still scattered here and there in large number especially in Kathmandu valley. Apart from its artistic and historic value it has deep spiritual significance.In recent years, due to lack of proper understanding and importance of these images or sculptures many of them were stolen,vandalised or simply left neglected to decay.In order that people may get some understanding about the importance of these deities and appreciate its spiritual significance a humble attempt has been made to describe the merits and virtues of different deities in Nepalese context although brief in nature.If by going through these pages if some one feels inspired and appreciated about the importance of these deities then, I believe ,the author is amply rewarded.
