Kartika on stand – Tantric Buddhist Ceremonial Knife with Crystal and Filigree

Kartika on a stand with an arched back plate, worked in filigree and set with quartz crystal and colored stones. Known as drigug in Tibetan, it is also referred to as a dakini knife. The Kartika is a ritual crescent knife of Vajrayana Buddhism. It is associated with the symbolic cutting of attachment and other mental obscurations and forms part of tantric Buddhist practice.

The Kartika is presented upright on a stand. The blade is secured within a curved holder and surmounted by a half vajra. A sphere of quartz crystal connects the blade with the upper vajra, whose tip is finished with a drop-shaped crystal. The Kartika is decorated with filigree and set stones.

The back plate is likewise worked in filigree. Thin wires are shaped into spirals, filled with small arched elements, and joined into patterns. Colored stones are integrated into the filigree, forming floral motifs throughout the composition. The central motif of the back plate is arranged as an eight-petalled lotus.

The Kartika follows the established iconographic conventions of Vajrayana art in the Kathmandu Valley, in which form, symbolic meaning, and ornament are brought together into a balanced composition.

Kartika

copper and crystal, worked in filigree, silver- and gold-plated, set with colored stones. The object is patinated. Handcrafted in Nepal.

• Height: 11.5" / 29 cm
• Width: 9" / 23 cm
• Depth: 4.5" / 11.5 cm
• Weight: 1,180 g