#parnashavari

[hinducosmos]

Parnashavari or Arya Janguli Gilt copper alloy inset with semi-precious stones Late 14th century. Densatil, Central Tibet Height 11 3/4 in. (29.9 cm) (via Auction PUNDOLE'S)

[hinducosmos]

A phyllite stele of Parnashavari Northeastern India or Bangladesh, Pala period, 10th-11th century. 40 x 18 in. (100.3 x 45.7 cm) Fighter of coronavirus. Associated with the mysterious Shavari tribe of ancient India, the Forest Goddess, Parnashavari, with three faces and six hands, wears a skirt and a garland of thatched green leaves. She is associated with jungle tribes and the practice of healing, particularly curing contagious diseases. The Forest Goddess is an example of an Indian folk deity absorbed into the Tantric Buddhist pantheon. In the Himalayas and in Tibet, when a large group of people congregate to receive extended religious teachings, it is common to first give the initiation and blessing for the Forest Goddess in order to stave off sickness. Parnashavari or ‘Wild Leafy One’ is mentioned in the Hevajra Tantra together with four other great goddesses, with whom she forms a pentad of deities called ‘Wisdoms’. Like Hevajra, Parnashavari belongs to the family of the cosmic Buddha Akshobhya whose emblem, the vajra, she holds in her upper right hand. (via Instagram: Kapoor Galleries Inc.)

[thangkaworld]

How to Identify Parnashavari in a Thangka: 7 Visual Clues

A Parnashavari thangka is usually identified by a yellow female deity with three faces, six arms, and a skirt made from fresh leaves. The full attribute group—vajra, axe, arrow, lasso, leafy branch, and bow—is more reliable than any single object. See the complete illustrated Parnashavari guide on TANGKAWORLD for the source image and extended analysis.

Who is Parnashavari?

Parnashavari is a female tantric deity associated with forests, protective healing traditions, and the suppression of epidemic illness. Museum records also describe her as the Forest Goddess or Leaf-Clad Goddess. These associations belong to religious history and living Buddhist practice; an image or ritual should never be presented as a replacement for diagnosis, vaccination, public-health measures, or qualified medical treatment.

Seven visual clues for identification

Start with the body color. The widely represented form is golden yellow, although color alone never proves the identity.

Count three faces. The central face is commonly yellow, with white and red side faces. Record what is actually visible because descriptions and variants do not always agree in every detail.

Count six arms. Multiple arms occur in many tantric figures, so combine the count with the leaf garment and the complete set of implements.

Find the leaf skirt. Distinct overlapping green leaves around the hips are the clearest visual clue. Green cloth or a green scarf by itself is not enough.

Read the objects as a set. Look for a vajra near the heart, an axe, an arrow, a looped lasso, fresh foliage, and a bow. Small objects may be simplified, worn, or blurred in reproduction.

Study the posture. TK0405 shows an asymmetrical seated pose with one foot lowered toward a small lotus support. Other traditions may show kneeling or standing forms, so posture supports rather than determines the identification.

Separate iconography from provenance. Visible features can strongly support the subject name while the artist, date, workshop, school, region, materials, patron, and collection history remain uncertain.

Parnashavari compared with similar figures

Green Tara normally has one face and two arms, holds lotus stems, and extends one leg in readiness. Parnashavari is typically yellow, three-faced, six-armed, equipped with multiple tools, and dressed in leaves. Compare these features with the TANGKAWORLD Green Tara identification guide.

Medicine Buddha is commonly a blue monastic Buddha holding a bowl and a medicinal plant. Parnashavari is a jeweled female goddess whose forest dress and six-object pattern belong to a different iconographic program. The topics are related through Buddhist healing imagery, but the figures are not interchangeable. See the Medicine Buddha symbols guide for a side-by-side study method.

Sitatapatra is centered on the white parasol and may appear with many heads, eyes, and arms. Mahamayuri is identified through peacock imagery. Protective function alone is not a secure basis for naming a deity; the face count, body form, garment, implements, posture, and documented comparisons should agree.

What does TK0405 show?

TANGKAWORLD archive image TK0405 clearly shows a yellow female deity with three faces, six arms, a layered leaf skirt, vajra, axe, arrow, looped cord, leafy branch, bow, halo, lotus seat, and lower offerings. This cluster strongly supports identification as Parnashavari.

The exact artist, date, geographic origin, workshop, school, ritual lineage, materials, collection history, and provenance are uncertain. No verified inscription or institutional record accompanies the archive file, so those gaps should remain explicit rather than being filled through resemblance to another object.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to recognize Parnashavari? Look for the combination of a yellow body, three faces, six arms, and a skirt made from leaves. Then confirm the vajra–axe–arrow–lasso–foliage–bow attribute set.

Is Parnashavari the same as Medicine Buddha? No. Both can appear in discussions of Buddhist healing traditions, but their bodies, garments, implements, and ritual histories are distinct.

Does every Parnashavari painting look identical? No. Colors, expressions, posture, and small implements can vary across texts, lineages, workshops, and periods. Identification should rely on a cluster of visible features and reliable comparison records.

Can TK0405 be dated from the image alone? Not securely. Style may suggest comparisons, but a responsible date or regional attribution requires provenance, inscriptions, technical examination, or a verified catalogue record.

Continue the research

Read the complete Parnashavari article for the full visual analysis, museum comparisons, source notes, and related deity guides. You can also browse the TANGKAWORLD Thangka image collection to compare TK numbers and iconographic subjects across the archive.

Last reviewed: August 7, 2026. Editorial method: visible features are separated from uncertain historical attribution, and external records are used for comparison rather than copied as proof of provenance.

The complete TANGKAWORLD visual guide to Parnashavari iconography.

Comparative iconographic records and documented variations.

A museum comparison object with healing and leaf-garment context.

Browse and download the TANGKAWORLD image archive.

Reference: tumblr-source-324-parnashavari-2026-08-07-v1

[magictransistor]

Parnashavari, The Forest Goddess. Himalayas. 1800s.  

Associated with the mysterious Shavari tribe of ancient India, the Forest Goddess with three faces and six hands wears a skirt and garland of thatched green leaves. She has always been associated with jungle tribes and the practice of healing. Her specialty is contagious disease. 

In the Himalayas and Tibet it is common place when a large group of people congregate to receive extended religious teachings to first give the initiation and blessing for the Forest Goddess in order to stave off sickness. Parnashavari is an example of an Indian folk deity absorbed into Tantric Buddhism. 

[asiasociety]

Video: Introducing Parnashavari, A Fierce-Looking Healer Dressed in Leaves

Meet the goddess Parnashavari, who features prominently in Asia Society Museum's new exhibition Golden Visions of Densatil: A Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, on view through May 18.

Read the full story here.