Vajrapani, holder of the thunderbolt scepter is one of the earliest bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. In this virile representation of the deity's absolute transformative power, he has a five-skull crown over his flaming red hair, a serpent doubled as a necklace, and a loincloth made from a tiger skin; with raised right hand holding a thunderbolt scepter, his potent energy symbolizes wisdom above samsara and nirvana. The statue is delicately parcel gilded in copper and gold, and supported by a sealed lotus base.