Hayagrīva, ‘The Horse-Necked One’, has a red body, three heads, six arms and eight legs. His main face is red, his right green and his left white; each is depicted with three round eyes and fanged teeth. He is adorned with body ornaments and a skull crown, and his upward streaming hair is ornamented with three horse’s heads. In his right hands he holds a vajra, trident and sword; his upper left is in the karaṇa or mesmerizing mudrā and his other two left hands hold a spear and a noose of intestines. He wears a snake and a garland of freshly severed heads around his neck, a tigerskin dhotī, and capes of human and elephant skin. A Tibetan inscription at the base of the thangka reads: We may attain the place of White Lotus ruler upon defeating inner and outer demons with the protection of Guru and Hayagrīva by the virtue of paying homage to them. Hayagriva originated in the Hindu pantheon, absorbed by Indian Buddhism in the 6th century as a protector-king. He is a wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteśvara, especially revered by Mongolians because of his affiliation with the horse. This masterful appliquй was created by Tsend of Ikh Khuree in the 19th century. It shows great skill, particularly in the depiction of the flaming aureole, the adornments of the deity and the surrounding flowers.
