TIBET/ CHINA Thunderbolt Crown (Vajra Mukut)

This style of hat is typically seen in depictions of Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. The dorjie (or thunderbolt scepter), which is depicted on the front and top of the crown, is one of the most important symbols in Tibetan Buddhism and is essential to many rituals and ceremonies. It represents the thunderbolt of enlightenment, a change in human consciousness in which a perfect state of knowledge, wisdom, and compassion is attained.