124 henrik h. sørensenJāṅgulī, the Jungle Woman: This violent female figure is among the
more peculiar forms of Avalokiteśvara.^101 As a female divinity, she is
the embodiment of a yoginī, a female ascetic and non-monastic prac-
titioner of Esoteric Buddhism. In mature Esoteric Buddhism, and later
in the Tantric Buddhist tradition, she becomes identified with Mātaṅgī.
The latter appears together with Jāṅgulī as a protector and demoness
in the dhāraṇī chapter of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkā sūtra.^102 Mātaṅgī
also enjoys a career as a spell-holder in the Sārdūlakarṇāvadāna, com-
monly known as the Mātaṅgī sūtra,^103 and later in a more sinister role
as seductress of Buddha’s disciple Ānanda in the Pseudo-Śūraṅgama
Sūtra (Shoulengyan jing ).^104
Kārttikeya, originally one of Śiva’s sons according to the Hindu tra-
dition, was incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon during the first
centuries C.E. He is usually depicted as a many-armed child wielding
a variety of weapons and riding a hybrid peacock. In China we first
encounter him in a late fifth-century relief in the Yungang Caves
near Datong, Shanxi.^105 He surfaces again in the mid-Tang as part of
the elaborate Esoteric Buddhist iconography of the Zhenyan tradi-
tion in connection with the Dharmadhātu Mandala, but nevertheless
remains a relatively minor figure.^106 Images from Dunhuang are also
known.
At some point, possibly in China, Kārttikeya and Skanda-Kumāra
merged into one figure. After the Tang he reappears in the form of
the young heavenly general Skanda/Weituo. When and how
Kārttikeya’s transformation from a martial child to a Chinese-style gen-
eral occurred is not clear, but it was probably not until well into the
Song period.^107 Images in the form of frontispieces for printed Bud-
dhist books show Skanda as a youthful warrior clad in the heavy armor
of a general with a winged helmet, holding a mace. Later, during the
Ming dynasty, Weituo became the primary guardian and protector
(^101) This female divinity is discussed in great detail in Strickmann 2002, 151–156.
See also Shaw 2006, 224–233. 102
T. 262.9:59a.
(^103) T. 1300.
(^104) T. 945.
(^105) Cf. Sørensen, “Esoteric Buddhist Art up to the Tang,” in this volume.
(^106) See Mukherjee 1987.
(^107) Frédéric 1992, 266–267.