Diamond in (his) Hand – Vajrapani (Skt.)

Diamond in (his) Hand (Skt. Vajrapani, Tib. Channa Dorje) is mentioned in the form of a bodhisattva as one of the Eight Main Disciples of Buddha Shakyamuni.

He also appears as a protector and is mentioned to be the father of Mahakala. In tantric Buddhism he later appears in the form of a yidam.

Diamond in (his) Hand is thought to be one of the earliest figures to appear in the Buddhist landscape. This aspect further is regarded as the “activity” of Buddhas and regularly appears together with Wisdom Buddha and Loving Eyes and is frequently displayed in various iconographic forms.

In tantrism, he is usually depicted in his active form: he holds a dorje in his right hand towards the sky showing that every result of activity should improve the state of mind, in his left hand a noose to pull away everything which keeps our mind away from development. His body is blue, which is a symbol for the fascinating activity.

He is called the ‘father of Mahakala’ because out of his heart the two-armed form of Mahakala
appears.