NEPAL, DATED BY INSCRIPTION TO 1846

This style of crown is worn by Newar Buddhist priests or vajracharya in the Vajrayana tradition of the Kathmandu Valley. The crown, used for ritual practices, empowerments, and initiating practitioners into Tantric traditions, depicts the five tathagatha: Ratnasambhava, Akshobhya, Vairochana, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi. The inscription indicates that the crown was offered by Machindrasing Manandhar to the priest Bidhyananda Bajracharya from Sikhamu Bahal. For a nearly identical example see the Vajracharya crown dated to 1864 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (acc. no. 36.25.2979).

Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24452.