A tantric trumpet fashioned from a human femur, samovars for making yak butter tea and chhaang (barley beer), and erotic yab-yum statues that depict the union of male compassion and female wisdom are just some of the highlights of the Himalayan Art Section at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS). The section, earlier called the Nepal and Tibetan section, closed to the public in May last year, and has undergone a year’s restoration and re-conceptualisation. On May 7, the gallery will be inaugurated by Ven. Geshe Lhakdor, director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

The six-feet high seated image of Maitreya is made by clay sculptor Chhemet Rigzin and his team from Ladakh. It is placed inside a gompa-replica, and will have faux manuscripts and ceremonial objects beside it. Pics/Bipin Kokate