108 henrik h. sørensen
sword and noose. Images of Acala are known from the hoard of Bud-
dhist sculptures recovered from the site of Anguo Temple.^48 His cult
spread well beyond the twin capitals of the Tang to Sichuan, where
stone-carved images can still be seen at Pantuo Temple in
Xionglai and Mt. Bei in Dazu.
Trailokyavijaya, Subduer of the Threefold Worlds, is a special mani-
festation of Vajrapāṇi as subduer and defeater of the enemies of Bud-
dhism. He is characterized by his special mudrā of intwined index
fingers and an iconographical feature in which he is shown trampling
on the Hindu gods Śiva and Pārvatī (figure 9).
This vidyārāja, a latecomer to the Esoteric Buddhist pantheon, rose
as a primary divinity at a time of increasing tension between Buddhist
and Śaivaite communities in India.^49 Several scriptures are associated
with his cult, including the Jin’gangding yuqie jiang sanshi chengjiu
jishen mimen (Vajraśekhara-yoga’s
Very Highest and Secret Methods of Trailokyavijaya Siddhi)^50 and the
Jiang sanshi fennu mingwang niansong yigui
(Ritual Proceedings for Invoking the Wrathful Vidyārāja Trailokyavi-
jaya).^51 His importance is underscored by the fact that two entire man-
dalas are associated with him within the greater Vajradhātu Mandala,
i.e. the Trailokyavijaya Mandala and the Trailokyavijaya-samaya Man-
dala. Trailokyavijaya is considered an emanation of Akṣobya.
Kuṇḍalī is a major vidyārājā who first appears in China as Caṇḍalī-
Vajrakumara in the thirty fascicle-version of the
Amoghapāśakalpa-rāja.^52 His subsequent elevation to cult status took
place with the rise of the Zhenyan tradition in the mid-eighth cen-
tury. Scriptures associated with his cult include the Ganlu Yunchali
pusa gongyang niansong chengjiu yigui
(Ritual Proceedings for attaining Siddhi by Making Offerings
and Invoking Amṛta-Kuṇḍalī Bodhisattva)^53 and the Xifang tuoluoni
zang zhong jin’gang zu amiliduo junzhali fa
(Vajra Kun ̣ḍalī Method Contained in the Indian
(^48) For a discussion of these sculptures, see Bogel, “Tōji,” this volume and 2010:
78-88. See also Sørensen, “Esoteric Buddhist Art under the Tang,” in this volume.
(^49) See Linrothe 1990, 26–27, 151–59, 178–211. Note however, that his discussion is
chiefly concerned with Tantric Buddhist developments in India and Tibet, which in
most cases took place well after the introduction of Esoteric Buddhism to China. 50
T. 1209.
(^51) T. 1210.
(^52) T. 1092.20:270c.
(^53) T. 1211.