Wrathful deities

Common card · No. 262298

In Dharmic religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, wrathful or fierce deities are distinctively fearsome, wrathful, or forceful (Sanskrit: krodha, Tibetan: trowo, etc) beings, who may be alternative forms ("avatars," "aspects," "manifestations") of other deities. In Buddhism, wrathful deities are manifestations of enlightened Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or Devas (divine beings); normally the same figure has other, peaceful, aspects as well. Because of their power to destroy the obstacles to enlightenment, they are also termed krodha-vighnantaka, "Wrathful onlookers on destroying obstacles". Wrathful deities are a notable feature of the iconography of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, especially in Tibetan art. These types of deities first appeared in India during the late 6th century, with its main source being the Yaksha imagery, and became a central feature of Indian Tantric Buddhism by the late 10th or early 11th century.

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