Padmasambhava accompanied by the two consorts Mandarava and Yeshe Tsogyal.

Pemasambhava Pema Jungne

The upper portion of the composition depicts Padmasambhava wearing a yellow hat and holding a vajra scepter in the right hand and a white skullcup in the left held in the lap. A katvanga Tantric staff rests against the left shoulder. On his right side stands Mandarava and on the left Yeshe Tsogyal.

The figure at the lower left with long white hair and a beard is an unidentified Tibetan teacher wearing the clothes of layman. The hands are placed in the gesture of teaching and he wears a meditation cloak. At the lower right is the six pointed double dharmakara mandala of Vajrayogini. This form of the deity is Krodha Kali, wrathful black one, with one face and two hands. On the top of the head is the face of a sow. She is accompanied by four retinue figures, yellow, red, white and green.

The top register contains deity figures along with Indian and Tibetan Buddhist teachers. The registers descending at the two sides depict a buddha figure, an Indian teacher and what appears to be the Longku Totreng Rig Nga - a group of five forms of Padmasambhava in King Appearance - representing the Sambhogakaya. In the register on the right the lower figure has a similar appearance to Dorje Drolo - one of the eight special forms of Padmasambhava.

In the bottom register there are six figures. Beginning on the left is the worldly protector Vaishravana Riding a Lion followed by Chaturbhuja Mahakala (four arms), the related figure of Kakamukha Mahakala (raven faced) and three attendant figures riding three different animal mounts.

Although the central figure of Padmasambhava is very much representative of the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism there are also aspects of the Zhije and Kagyu traditions represented in the figures of Padampa Sanggye (top), Yogini Krodha Kali (lower left) and the Chaturbhuja Mahakala (bottom register).

Numbered List:
1. Padmasambhava
2. Mandarava
3. Yeshe Tsogyal
4. Tibetan Teacher (unidentified)
5. Krodha Kali Vajrayogini Mandala
6. Shakyamuni Buddha
7. Green Tara
8. Manjushri Riding a Lion (?)
9. Indian Teacher (unidentified)
10. Padampa Sanggye (?)
11. Tibetan Teacher (unidentified)
12. Buddha Figure
13. Indian Teacher Figure
14. King Figure (possibly the Longku Totreng Rig Nga)
15. King Figure
16. King Figure
17. King Figure
18. King Figure
19. Dorje Drolo-like Figure
20. Vaishravana Riding a Lion
21. Chaturbhuja Mahakala
22. Kakamukha mahakala
23. Retinue figure
24. Retinue figure
25. Retinue figure

Jeff Watt 1-2012