Himalayan Art Resources

Bon Deity: Sipai Gyalmo, Ugya Chagtong

Sipai Gyalmo Main Page

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Iconographic Anomalies
- Secondary Figure: HAR #200008
- Masterworks
- Universal Deities
- Confusions: see Anomalies
- Others...

Videos:
- Ugya Chagtong
- Universal Deities

Ugya Chagtong, Sipai Gyalmo (Tibetan: srid rgyal dbu brgya phyag stong. English: Queen of the World, Having a Thousand Heads and a Thousand Hands): principal female protector deity in the Bon Religion. Wrathful in appearance, the two main hands hold a sword and a skullcup. The remaining hands hold a variety of objects and attributes. She stands atop corpse figures, a sun disc, and lotus seat, surrounded by the flames of pristine awareness.

Retinue Figures:

The Three Sentinel Ladies (bka' srung bya ra ma gsum mo), Guardians of the World: Karmo Tsedag, Mugmo Wangchug, and Nagmo Kundrol. They are known as the White Lady of Longevity, the Purple Lady of Power and the Black Lady who Liberated all Beings. They are mounted atop a bird, kyang and a khyung.

The Four Magical Menmo (rdzu 'phrul sman bzhi), blue, red, green and white: Namchi Gonggyal, Yichi Gungsang, Choma Yesang, Nammen Karmo. They are the Menmo of Magic in the Expanse of Primordial Wisdom, Menmo of the Natural Sky, Menmo of the Magical Space, and Emanated Menmo of Cause and Effect - the White Menmo of the sky. They ride atop a dragon, khyung, snow lion and a ram.

Jeff Watt [updated 1-2024]


Bonpo Thangkas From Rebkong. Bon Studies 13, Senri Ethnological Reports 95. Edited by Bon brgya dge legs lhun grub rgya mtsho, Shin'ichi Tsumagari, Musashi Tachikawa, Yasuhiko Nagano. National Museum of Ethnology 2011 Osaka.