The attributes he holds identify this figure to be Vajrasattva, worshipped in Esoteric Buddhism as emblematic of the triumph of wisdom over human ignorance. In the left hand he holds the bell that awakens, in his right the vajra, or thunderbolt that destroys ignorance. The taut outline of the figure set off by richly ornamented cuffs of hair, jewelry, and cloth suggest a 12th century date.