Yama, the Lord of Death, is revered in Tibet as a guardian of spiritual practice, and was likely revered even before the conversion of Tibet from Bön to Buddhism in the 7th century. The idol is wood, painted, over 4 feet high. Human skulls and heads festoon the crown and necklace of Yama.
I Ancheta Wis, agree to multi-license all my images which were taken at the Field Museum of Natural History: