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The Five Deities of Ghaṇṭāpāda’s Cakrasaṃvara


The five deities of Ghaṇṭāpāda’s Cakrasaṃvara are blue with four faces and twelve hands. The main face is black, the left face is green, the back face is red, and the right face is yellow. Each face has three eyes. They each have a vajra garland at their foreheads. Of their twelve hands, the first two hold a vajra and bell and embrace Vajravārāhī. The next two hold an ox skin. The remaining four right hands hold a ḍamaru, battle-axe, curved knife, and trident. The remaining four left hands hold a khaṭvāṅga, skull, lasso, and Brahmā’s head. They are adorned with garlands of fresh and dried skulls. Their right legs are extended and trample black Bhairava, while their left legs are bent and trample red Kālarātri. They wear tiger-skin skirts and are smeared with great ashes. Vajravārāhī embraces him around the neck, holding a knife and skull-cup, and he stands in the midst of a fire. The retinue includes five principal and attendant deities: black Ḍākinī, green Lāmā, red Kālarātri, and yellow Rūpiṇī.