According to Buddhist scriptures, soon after attaining enlightenment the Buddha manifested thirty-two major and eight minor characteristics. One of these features was the ushnisha, a cranial protuberance that served as a physical reminder of his heightened intelligence. A feminine deity of Tibetan Buddhism, Ushnishavijaya is the deification of this distinctive mark of the Buddha. Her name means “victorious goddess of the Ushnisha,” and refers to her exceptional intelligence.

Here she is seated in a meditative pose with both legs folded and the soles of her feet visible. She has three heads, each manifesting a third eye and showing a sweet and benign expression. Each of her eight hands is either in the form of a mudra (a gesture that symbolizes forces of nature and the nature and function of the deity), or holds an implement representing her spiritual powers.