17/06/2026
Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi/Chana Dorje Nepal's best statues
Vajrapani or Chana Dorje is the protector and guide of the Buddha, one of the eight great Bodhisattva and lords of the three families. He represents the power of the Buddhas and is usually depicted as blue in color and holding a vajra. Vajrapani is indeed a Bodhisattva who embodies all the Buddhas’ infinite enlightened power. In recognition of Vajrapani’s powerful abilities, Shakyamuni Buddha entrusted him with the protection of the ta**ras, those powerful Vajrayana teaching capable of guiding qualified disciples to full enlightenment in one short lifetime. As protector of these precious and esoteric ta***ic teachings, Vajrapani is sometimes referred to with the title “Lord of the Secret”.
Vajrapani is the Ta***ic aspect of the enlightened mind, which transforms the energy of hate into active wisdom and magical perfection. A Bodhisattva-aspect which symbolizes the indestructible vajra-body of a Buddha. Chana Dorje was a major secret meditation deity of e.g. Lama Yeshe, Geshe Rabten and Gangchen Tulku.
Vajrapani is extensively represented in Buddhist iconography as one of the three protective deities surrounding the Buddha. Each of them symbolizes one of the Buddha’s virtues: Manjusri (the manifestation of all the Buddhas’ wisdom), Avalokitesvara (the manifestation of all the Buddhas’ compassion) and Vajrapani (the manifestation of all the Buddhas’ power as well as the power of all 5 Tathagathas).
Vajrapani uses powerful means to protect and promote Buddha’s teaching. On one famous occasion, Shakyamuni Buddha was seated at the Vulture’s Peak near Rajagriha, the site where He delivered the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. At that time, Buddha’s jealous cousin Devadatta rolled a large boulder down the hill in an attempt to assassinate Him. Just as the huge rock was about to crush Buddha, Vajrapani used his immense power to split it into two so that pieces of the boulder fell harmlessly to either side.
Nepal's best statues