Vaikuntha Kamalaja

[7][8] The concept as well as iconography of Vaikuntha-Kamalaja is derived from Ardhanarishvara – the popular androgynous form of the god Shiva and his consort Parvati.

[3] A late 11th century inscription of the local ruler Yakshapala in the Shitala Gaya Temple in Gaya, India says that Yakshapala built the temple to house a number of deities, including Kamalardhangina-Narayana, "Narayana (Vishnu) whose half body is Kamala ("Lakshmi").

[4] The earliest known Nepali depiction of Vaikuntha-Kamalaja is in a 1263 AD pata (cloth panel), now in the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, India.

[1][2][3] As explained in Saradatilaka and Tantrasara, Vaikuntha-Kamalaja, like Ardhanarishvara, symbolise the oneness or non-duality of male and female principles of the universe.

The female half holds a kalasha (coconut-mango leaves atop a pot) or kumbha (water-pot) filled with gems, mirror, manuscript or book and a lotus.

The necklace, anklets, waist-belt are common on both sides; the ear-rings, shape of the crown and arm ornaments differ.

Vaikuntha-Kamalaja, Nepal , gilt copper and inlaid, 14th century, Guimet Museum .
Lakshminarayana statue from Nepal , 10th-11th century ( Lalitpur, Nepal ).
North Indian-style mural of Vaikuntha Kamalaja in Podar Haveli Museum, Nawalgarh, Rajasthan .