Tsong-kha-pa and His Disciples

Tsong-kha-pa sits cross-legged in the center, wearing the yellow pointed hat of the Gelug school and saffron-colored monastic robes; his hands are held in the dharmachakra mudra (teaching gesture), and lotus flowers rise at his shoulders supporting a sword and a book. He is framed by a large circular orange aura. To his lower left sits a disciple holding a manuscript, and to his lower right sits another in a gesture of discourse. The surrounding landscape consists of stylized green hills, winding streams, and numerous small white monastery buildings where monks are depicted performing daily religious activities.

Tsong-kha-pa (1357–1419) was the founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism; this painting serves as a devotional image celebrating the lineage of his teachings and the institutional flourishing of his monasteries, which were instrumental in reforming monastic discipline in Tibet.