Vasundhara

Vasudhara is one of the important and popular feminine deities in Nepalese Buddhist society. Vasudhara Vrata, which is performed to honour this deity for two consecutive days once a year, is very popular event among Nepalese Buddhists. She is believed to be the bestower of wealth and prosperity similar to Laxmi Devi in Hinduism. It is said that through the practice of Vasudhara Vrata devotees accumulate seven kinds of prosperity i.e. wealth, quality, offspring, long life, happiness, praise and wisdom. She is described in the meditational texts as follows: She has three faces and six arms. She is seated in Lalita attitude. Her right foot is rested on a conch placed over a vase with a lotus. Her three right hands hold a rosary, jewels, displaying of varada mudra and left three hands hold a vase, dhanyam anjary (rice stalk) and a scripture. She wears all the precious ornaments and silk garments. She appears as a young girl of sixteen years of age. She is golden yellow in colour. She has an image of Buddha Ratna Sambhava on her crown. existence and destruction. Her Varada mudra symbolizes that she bestows seven kinds of prosperity to all sentient beings especially the multiplicity of offspring. the jewel symbolizes that one's wishes are fulfilled, the rosary symbolizes that through repeated investigation of our natural state or reality one's wisdom and qualities will be developed. the auspicious vase symbolizes that she confers the initiation on devotees, who thus attain high status or increase of praise or fame. the second left hand holding dhanyamanjary symbolizes that through the power of food grains one's life is sustained or life span increased. the third left hand holding scripture symbolizes that one gains insight of emptiness or increase in wisdom.