Himalayan Art Resources

Item: King - Gesar

རྒྱལ་པོ། 国王
(item no. 47436)
Date Range 1960 -
Lineages Buddhist
Collection Private
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Person

Appearance: Warrior

Gender: Male

Interpretation / Description

Gesar Norbu Dradul: Ling Gesar, the King of Ling surrounded by the Thirteen Werma and accompanying figures.

Gesar Norbu Dradul appears as a warrior, wearing body armor and a battle helmet. The right hand holds aloft a horse whip and the cradles to the chest a bowl of wish-fulfilling jewels and a spear in the bend of the elbow. He rides atop a brown horse accompanied by the Thirteen Werma and surrounded by a ring of green and blue clouds within a rainbow sphere. One of the typical five birds of the Thirteen Werma has been replaced by the figure of a dragon.

At the top center is Manjushri, peaceful in appearance, orange in colour, holding a sword upraised in the right hand and the stem of an utpala in the left with the blossom supporting the Prajnaparamita text. On the left side of the composition is Padmasambhava (slob dpon pad+ma 'byung g.nas). On the right side is Machen Pomra, white in colour, dressed as a warrior and riding a snow lion (shar stod rma chen spom ra). Standing at the viewer's left of Gesar is his wife, Kyalo'i Seng Cham Drugmo (skya lo'i seng lcam 'brug mo). Standing on the right is the mother of Gesar, Mayul Gogze Lhamo (ma yul 'gog bza' lha mo).

Jeff Watt 7-2011

Related Items
Thematic Sets
King: Gesar Murals (Dzongsar Insititute, India)
King: Gesar Norbu Dradul
India: Dzongsar Institute, Bir, H.P. (SRG Archive, 2009)
King: Gesar Main Page