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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileKundeling Incarnation Lineage - Gyaltsab Yeshe Lobzang Tanpa'i Gonpo, the 8th Tatsag
The central figure, a Tibetan Buddhist master, wears a yellow pandita hat and monastic robes, holding a vajra in his left hand while performing the vitarka mudra with his right. He sits on an ornate throne flanked by two lotus flowers, with a mountainous, monastery-filled landscape in the background. Above him, three smaller lamas sit in meditation, while the upper corners feature Vajrapani (left) and Mahakala (right). At the bottom center, the wrathful deity Palden Lhamo, dark-skinned and fierce with a third eye and a crown of skulls, is shown riding a mule over a sea of blood, surrounded by offerings, while monks stand in adoration on either side.
This painting represents the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, specifically illustrating the lineage of the Tatsag Kundeling incarnations, who were significant political and religious figures in Tibet. It serves as a visual record of spiritual authority and the protection of the dharma through the intercession of wrathful deities.
Tibetan script is present on the image, including seal marks in the lower left and upper left corners (partially obscured).
Tatsag Incarnation Lineage
The painting acts as a visual biography of the 8th Tatsag within the Gelug religious hierarchy.
Object
thangka
silk
19th century
Tibetan
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
1026 × 1500 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 20, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.