Vidyaraja

Bai Ta Si (Miaoying Temple), Beijing

The Vidyarajas, or Knowledge Kings, are fierce Esoteric Buddhist Deities who overcome obstacles on the path to enlightenment. Possibly this one is a form of Raja Vidyaraja (Jap. Aizen Myo-o), concerned with love and the passions, as characterized by his bow and arrow.

Esoteric Buddhism, in its Tibetan or Nepalese form, was popular on China's northern frontier, and patronized by the Yuan and Qing emperors.