Antique Khmer Style Standing Bronze Bayon Hevajra Statue - 66cm/26" Tall

Antique Khmer Style Standing Bronze Bayon Hevajra Statue - 66cm/26" Tall

Measures (Height) 66cm/26"

A commanding bronze sculpture of Hevajra, rendered in the Khmer Bayon tradition. With tiered crowned heads, sixteen radiating arms, and a dynamic dancing stance, this richly detailed figure combines an imposing silhouette with remarkably composed facial expressions.

The arms fan outward in a balanced arrangement, each hand supporting a miniature figure or animal. These include seated Buddha figures depicted in meditation and enlightenment gestures, together with a variety of animals. Their small scale invites closer inspection, offering a wealth of detail within the sculpture’s expansive composition.

Hevajra’s principal face is framed by an elaborate crown and long pendant earrings. Further crowned faces rise above and turn towards the sides, creating a sculptural arrangement that rewards viewing from different angles. A broad ornamental necklace, decorated armlets, bracelets, and anklets enrich the figure without obscuring the strong modelling of the torso.

The deity wears a patterned sampot, with an ornamented waistband and a long, fishtail-shaped pendant falling between the bent legs. This distinctive garment, together with the tiered heads and radiating arms, recalls historic Khmer representations of dancing Hevajra associated with the Bayon tradition.

The feet rest above a reclining figure on a shallow circular platform. Beneath this, a substantial dark wooden base provides a restrained contrast to the bronze and gives the sculpture a strong architectural presence. The reverse is also carefully detailed, revealing the arrangement of the arms, the backs of the crowns, and the tied folds of the garment.

A mottled surface of earthy brown, muted green, and darker tones accentuates the ornament and modelling. At 66 cm tall, this is a substantial statement piece for a collection of Southeast Asian art, a study, or a thoughtfully arranged contemplative interior.

Hevajra and the Khmer Buddhist Tradition

Hevajra is a deity of Tantric, or Esoteric, Buddhism associated with enlightenment and spiritual transformation. His multiple heads, numerous arms, ritual attributes, and dancing posture express a form of divine activity that extends beyond ordinary human capacities. Historic Khmer examples similarly depict him with eight heads and sixteen arms carrying cups containing miniature beings.

Although Hevajra is often described as a wrathful deity, Khmer artists could portray his faces with a calm, almost smiling expression. This contrast between inward composure and vigorous movement is a particularly compelling feature of the subject. The Metropolitan Museum’s Khmer Hevajra bust provides an important historical example of this restrained treatment.

The reclining figure beneath his feet belongs to the deity’s imagery of overcoming ignorance or delusion. Rather than presenting dance as mere movement, the composition gives it a spiritual significance: the triumph of awakened understanding over the forces that bind beings to suffering.

Key Features

• Height: 66 cm / approximately 26 inches.

• Bronze sculpture of Hevajra in Khmer Bayon style.

• Tiered arrangement of crowned heads.

• Sixteen arms radiating outward in a balanced, fan-like composition.

• Hands supporting miniature seated Buddha figures and a variety of animals.

• Buddha figures shown in meditation and enlightenment gestures.

• Dynamic, bent-knee dancing stance.

• Elaborate crowns, pendant earrings, necklace, armlets, bracelets, and anklets.

• Patterned sampot with a long central fishtail-shaped pendant.

• Reclining figure beneath the feet.

• Circular bronze platform mounted on a dark wooden display base.

• Mottled earthy-brown and green-toned surface.

• Detailed reverse, allowing appreciation from multiple viewpoints.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Hevajra?

Hevajra is an important deity in Tantric Buddhism, associated with enlightenment and spiritual transformation. In Khmer art, he is recognisable through his tiered heads, sixteen arms, ritual cups, and dancing posture.

Is this Avalokiteshvara?

This sculpture is identified as Hevajra. Although Avalokiteshvara can also appear with multiple heads and arms, the combination of a dancing stance and hands supporting cups with miniature beings is characteristic of Hevajra.

What do the hands hold?

The hands support miniature seated Buddha figures in meditation and enlightenment gestures, together with a variety of animals. These details form an important part of the sculpture’s individual character. In traditional Hevajra imagery, ritual cups contain animals and divine beings; precise identifications and meanings vary with the iconographic tradition.

Why does Hevajra have so many heads and arms?

The repeated heads and arms express the deity’s extraordinary spiritual nature and allow numerous attributes to appear together in a single image. Eight heads and sixteen arms are defining features of this form of Hevajra.

What is Bayon style?

Bayon style refers to a Khmer artistic tradition associated with the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Comparable Hevajra sculptures feature crowned heads, radiating arms, ornate jewellery, and a short sampot with a pendant fishtail sash. 

What does the dancing posture signify?

Hevajra’s dance expresses liberation and the overcoming of delusion. The energy of the stance contrasts with the composed faces, bringing together spiritual power and inward stillness.

Is the sculpture mounted on a base?

Yes. The figure stands on a circular bronze platform loosely mounted above a substantial dark wooden display base.

How tall is the sculpture?

The stated height is 66 cm, approximately 26 inches. 

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