Item: Worldly Protector (Buddhist) - Drala Brothers (Nine)

Tibetan: འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་ལྷ། ནང་ལྷ། Chinese: 世俗的神（佛教）

(item no. 57627)

Origin Location	Mongolia
Date Range	1700 - 1799
Lineages	Buddhist
Size	30.50x25cm (12.01x9.84in)
Material	Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection	National Gallery in Prague
Catalogue #	Inv. No. 5524, Purchased 1981

Classification: Deity

Appearance: Warrior

Gender: Male

Interpretation / Description

Dralha, the Nine Enemy God Brothers (Tibetan: dra lha che gu): Dralha is a class of indigenous gods inhabiting the Himalayas, Tibet and Central Asia. They are found in both the Bon and Buddhist religions. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Dralha are said to have been subjugated and then forced into the service of Buddhism as worldly protector gods by the 8th century Indian teacher Padmasambhava.