Mahasahasra Pramardani has four heads and is awesome in appearance. The heads are successively white, blue, red and yellow. The deity wears a crown of human skulls and has tiger skin around her waist.The hair is dishevelled. She has eight arms. Her four right hands exhibit varadamudra, a sword, an arrow and a goad while her left hands hold a lotus, noose, bow and axe. She is seated in Lalitasana. Mahasahasra Pramardani also wears a garland of severed human heads. She tramples upon a human corpse and is seated on a lotus throne. In Nispannayogavali she is described as having ten arms.

The characteristic feature of this protectress deity Mahasahasra Pramardani is that it protects us from evil and harmful spirits. It once happened that in the city of Vaishali a great disaster occured, lightning flashed violently, the earth trembled, many people suffered due to accidental diseases, deaths and other disastrous events. Lord Buddha through his Buddha eye saw many evil spirits giving troubles to people in the area by various means. Upon the request of four great kings the Buddha delivered the dharani of Arya Sahasrapramardani at Gridhkuta hill near Rajgir to pacify the evils caused by evil spirits. It is said that when the Buddha uttered the dharani of this deity hundreds of thousands of evil spirits ran away out of fear. For the benefit of the people of Vaishali the Buddha decided to enter their city. While entering into their city the people welcomed him with their best possible means. Ten the Buddha out of compassion for all sentient beings taught the dharma which is auspicious in the beginning, in the middle and at the end. Many devas promised to protect the people who hold this dharani.