On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Vajracharya priest enacting Buddhist ritual at Bu-bahal monastery in Patan
Photograph by Mary Shepherd Slusser
Not on view
In this photograph, a Vajracharya priest performs an esoteric ritual service while holding a ladle and bell (ghanta). He wears the elaborate crown that instills him with bodhisattva-like powers to disperse blessings and boons to worshippers, and chants the efficacious litany for the spiritual benefit of his client. The ritual is enacted over a mandala altar inset into the temple’s pavement. Flowers are scattered on the altar, and a conch shell on a tripod stand nearby serves as a dispenser for libations.
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