Citipati (Buddhism)

It is formed of two skeletal deities, one male and the other female, both dancing wildly with their limbs intertwined inside a halo of flames representing change.

[citation needed] The citipati should not be confused with the skeleton dancers of the Tibetan Buddhist cham dance tradition.

The thief beheaded them and threw them into the dirt, which caused them to reach the next stage of ascetic practices.

While waiting for criminals, the Citipati pass their time by dancing and blowing horns, a ritual reenacted by Tibetan monks twice annually.

[2] Their dancing also serves as a symbol for death and rebirth, for the Citipati consist of both halves of the human body, male and female.

The Citipati as depicted in a painting in the Gelugpa Monastery, Nepal.
Tibetan Citipati mask depicting Mahākāla . The skull mask of Citipati is a reminder of the impermanence of life and the eternal cycle of life and death.