Kartika; Tibet, c. 1900.

Kartika; Tibet, c. 1900.
Bronze.
Measurements: 27 x 9,5 x 9 cm.
A kartika or drigug is a small, crescent-shaped, hand-held ritual skinning knife used in tantric ceremonies of Vajrayana Buddhism. The kartari is said to be "one of the quintessential attributes of the wrathful tantric deities" and is commonly known as the "knife of the dakinis". Its shape is similar to that of the ulu or Inuit woman's knife, which is used for many things, including cleaning furs.
Although in Vajrayana iconography and spiritual practice the kartika is usually held in the right hand of a dakini, it can sometimes be seen to be held by esoteric male deities, such as certain forms of Yamantaka, and also appears frequently in the iconography of the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual practice of the Chöd.