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A Buddha is known for having thirty-two major and eighty minor distinguishing physical characteristics (marks) based on the Indian cultural description of a Universal Monarch (Chakravartin) - the highest and most developed male form. Only a few of these 112 marks are depicted in art such as the ushnisha on the top of the head, the urnakesha between the eyes, three curved horizontal lines on the neck and a Dharma Wheel impression on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

Shakyamuni Buddha is generally depicted as formal in appearance, he gazes forward with partially closed eyes and the blue-black hair on the head is piled in a tuft on top with a single gold ornament adorning the crown. Between the eyebrows is a white dot representing a curled white hair (urna) and adorning the neck are three curved horizontal lines. The earlobes are long and pierced. With the right arm bare the right hand is extended across the knee in the earth touching gesture (mudra). The left performs the gesture (mudra) of meditation - palm upward in the lap. Across the left shoulder is a saffron coloured patchwork robe. A similar lower garment is tied at the waist with a cloth belt. The legs are folded in vajra posture.

The primary function of Ganapati in Tantric Buddhism is that of a wealth deity - a practice done for the purposes of obtaining wealth for religious reasons such as building temples, helping the poor or sustaining spiritual practice.

Most forms of Ganapati belong to the Kriya classification of Buddhist Tantra. In the 11th century Jowo Atisha popularized at least two forms of Ganapati in Tibet and the Indian Pandita Gayadhara introduced numerous others which came down through the Sakya Tradition. In the following centuries the Nyingma Tradition gave rise to numerous forms through the process of Revealed Treasure.

Mountain Gods and Goddesses of Tibet and the Himalayan regions are spirits indigenous to a specific geographic region and considered worthy, for various reasons, of worship by the local populace. All of the gods and local deities represented here are generally considered Worldly Deities as oppsoed to Wisdom Deities - deities that are enlightened in a Buddhist or Bon sense of the word enlightenment. The gods can be either Bon, Buddhist or regional - as well as equally worshiped by all. The more famous of these various gods have been incorporated into religious traditions, often losing their local flavour as they move outside of their regions and are generically worshiped throughout Tibet and the Himalayas. Also note that some followers of the protector deity Dorje Shugden maintain that he is a Wisdom Protector and fully enlightened. Also, the Gelug Monastery of Dragyab in Kham, Eastern Tibet, holds that Dorje Setrab is also an enlightened Wisdom Protector.

The Gongkar Chode Monastery is believed to have been established in 1464. The principal founder of the Dzongpa Tradition was Dorje Chang Kunga Namgyal (born 1432). The main monastery of the Dzongpa is Gongkar Chode just south-west of Lhasa on the south side of the Tsangpo River. This monastery is especially famous for the artist Kyentse Wangchug and the development of the Kyenri style of painting. The Hevajra Chapel and the Old Gonkang, both on the 2nd floor, have wonderful murals and stand as the best early examples of the Kyenri style of drawing, composition and use of colour.

The 22 images depicted in this gallery are a compendium of the various Tibetan worldly spirits that occupy and haunt Tibetan history and folk life stories - some are imported from Indian cultural beliefs and narratives. Often the spirits are the projected demons and obstacles overcome during religious and village rituals of the Bon, Buddhist and Himalayan Tribal religious and spiritual groups. Sometimes the spirits are understood to be mental afflictions or disease and at other times they are real physically appearing monsters that can cause great harm to adults, children, livestock and property.

Romanized names and contextual information will be added over the next week or so.

The protector deity Begtse Chen, (English: the Great Coat of Mail. Sanskrit name: Prana Atma), was popularized within the Sarma (new) Schools of Tibetan Buddhism by Marpa Lotsawa (1012-1096) and Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092-1158), the respective founders of the Marpa Kagyu and Sakya Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The protector was later adopted and incorporated into the Gelug School of Tsongkapa and subsequently became popular in Mongolia - predominantly following the Gelug tradition since the 17th century. Begtse Chen is the main protector associated with the Hayagriva cycle of Tantric Deity meditation practice.

For over one hundred years numerous scholars in the West  have published the history of Begtse erroneously as beginning with the 3rd Dalai Lama and the subjugation of a Mongolian war god - referring to the protector deity Begtse. A common source given for the Western source of the story, based on Mongolian oral history, is Albert Grunwedel (1856-1935). In Tibetan Buddhism Begtse is believed to have originated in India. The practice entered Tibet with Nyen Lotsawa in the 11th century. (See the Common Confusions About Protectors Glossary).

It is commonly said by some sources in Mongolia that there were three Begtse Chen coral masks made at approximately the turn of the century a little over a hundred years ago. Currently there are at least three masks in museums in Mongolia, another mask is in the collection of the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. Aside from these there are numerous masks available on the Asian art market either real or copies. It is not easy to distinguish between the original Mongolian masks and the modern copies.

Begtse Mask:

1. Zanabazar Museum, Ulan Bator, Mongolia

2. Chojin Lama Temple, Ulan Bator, Mongolia

3. Danza Rabjaa Museum Sainshand, Mongolia

4. Rubin Museum of Art, New York, USA

5. Others....

Bon Chorten (Tibetan: mchod rten) are reliquary mounds comparable to the Buddhist stupa. Bon chorten can be immediately distinguished from the Buddhist stupa by a set of Horned Eagle (kyung) horns that are placed on the top of the spire. In the Bon Religion there are 121 chorten designs intended for use on the earth. There are a further 121 for the sky and another 121 for the underworld. These images depict the 121 for use on the earth.

Mindrolling Monastery, located in the Drachi Valley of U-tsang, was founded in 1676 by Terdag Lingpa Gyurme Dorje, the 1st Mindrolling Trichen - throne holder. Mindrolling is also regarded as one of the six principal monasteries of the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

The monastery of Shalu, approximately 40 kilometers from Shigatse, was founded in 1040 A.D. by Chetsun Sherab Jungne. At the suggestion of Buton Rinchen Drub (1290-1364 ) the monastery was expanded and elaborately decorated by Kunzang Dragpa Gyaltsen in the early 14th century. For an overview see the Shalu Association: Monastery Report.

1. Main Temple: Images 1, Images 2

2. Avalokiteshvara Chapel: Images

3. Ordination Temple: Images 1, Images 2, Images 3

4. Retreat Center (Atisha Cave): Images

The Six Ornaments and Two Excellent Ones of the Southern Continent is the name given to the group of the most important Indian Buddhist scholars of the Mahayana Tradition. The two foremost among the first six are Nagarjuna, founder of the Madyamaka Tadition, and Asanga, founder of the Yogachara tradition. Their two principal students were Aryadeva and Vasubhandu respectively, followed by the two, Dharmakirti and Dignaga. These six constitute the 'six ornaments.'

The 'two excellent ones' are Gunaprabha and Shakyaprabha. The 'southern continent' refers to India, or the human continent of Jambudvipa in the Buddhist cosmological system where there are four continents that surround the central mountain (Sumeru) of a small world system.

The Six Ornaments Main Page and Outline Page have been updated along with the addition of painting and drawing sets.

The Six Mother Monasteries of the Nyingma Tradition are Katog Dorje Den (founded in 1159), Tubten Dorje Drag (1632), Palyul Namgyal Jangchub Ling (1665), Urgyan Mindroling (1676), Dzogchen Urgyan Samten Choling (1685) and Shechen Tennyi Dargye Ling (1735). This version of the six was promoted by the Shechen Rabjam incarnation line of Shechen Monastery.

An earlier list has the monastery of Chongye Palri Tegchog Ling in place of Shechen Monastery. Dodrubchen Monastery is sometimes substituted for Katog. Samye was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet established by King Trisong Detsen and Shantirakshita with the help of Padmasambhava. Samye is not included in the list of six probably for a number of different reasons such as its importance for all of Tibetan Buddhism and the fact that it has been under Sakya administration for more than several centuries.

The Eight Chariots of Spiritual Accomplishment is a 16th century classification of Tibetan religious traditions. The system was later  popularized by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye in the 19th century. The Eight Chariot system lists what Kongtrul promotes, in several publications, as the significant practice traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Kongtrul uses this Eight Chariot formulation in structuring the Dam Ngag Dzo collection of practices. It is also important to mention that Kongtrul was not fixed on one system or one presentation but used a number of other variations of the Eight Chariots system in other writings. Several painting sets are known to have been created depicting the principal teachers and deity practices of the Eight Chariots of Spiritual Accomplishment.

Images of various Anuttarayoga Tantric meditational deities accompanied by the initiation & teaching lineages of the Sakya & Ngor Tradition.

Images of various Anuttarayoga Tantric meditational deities of the Sakya Tradition. The paintings are from the Kham region of Eastern Tibet and likely commissioned and created in the Dege area.

Images and biography of Chetsun Sengge Wangchug (12th century) the originator of the Chetsun Nyingtig and later re-discovered by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892).

The three composition painting set depicts the Karma Kagyu Mahamudra Lineage ending with the 14th Gyalwa Karmapa, Tegchog Dorje (1799-1869). The iconographic details in each painting are really fascinating. The lineage begins in the central Marpa painting with the primordial Buddha Vajradhara at the top center. Directly above Milarepa is the Indian siddha Tilopa. Directly above Gampopa is Naropa. The lineage then descends through the Marpa composition and then moving again to the Milarepa painting followed by the Gampopa painting and the completion of the lineage up to the 14th Karmapa.

At the lower center of the Marpa painting is a depiction of the 10th Shamar Mipam Chodrub Gyatso (1742-1792). At the lower center of the Milarepa composition is what appears to be a Tai Situ, possibly Chokyi Jungne. At the lower center of the Gampopa composition is the 5th Karmapa Deshin Shegpa (1384-1415).

The Mindroling Monastery was founded in 1676 by Terdag Lingpa Gyurme Dorje (1646-1714). In the 19th century Mindroling was included as one of the six great monastic institutions of the Nyingma Tradition along with others, both new and old, such as Katog, Dorje Drag, Payul, Shechen  and Dzogchen. Some of the art and iconography of Mindroling is distinctive because of either identifiable historical figures like Terdag Lingpa, unique iconography or name inscriptions written on the paintings or sculpture.

Generally with Nyingma art, when it is possible to identify a sub-tradition, it can be contextualized either by monastic institution or by individual lineage  - 'kama' or 'terma' - such as with Pema Lingpa, Dorje Lingpa, Dudjom Lingpa, etc.

The navigation page listing individuals with a graphic Outline Page has been updated along with the navigation page for Religious Traditions.

A Biography of Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub (b.1456/1441 - d.1532/1525), the most famous 16th century Ngorpa teacher of Mustang (Lo Montang), has been uploaded to the website to accompany the images of paintings and sculpture. Almost every major collection of Tibetan sculpture in museum or private hands will have a figure of Lowo Khenchen. After the Five Founding Teachers (Jetsun Gongma Nga) of Sakya and then the founder of Ngor Monastery, Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo -  Lowo Khenchen is surely the most common portrait image of a Sakya teacher. The images of Lowo Khenchen on the HAR website do not properly reflect the total number of images that are extant in known collections.  More images will be uploaded to the Lowo Khenchen page in the near future.

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art was the first museum represented on the Himalayan Art Resources website back in early spring of 1998. Many of the painting descriptions have recently been reviewed and updated. Some identifications have changed, additional links have been added. Painting Sets images have also been added to all compositions belonging to larger painting sets.