The identification of this central figure as Ekajati is tentative and without a textual basis.

The seated figure at the upper right is Manlung Guru of the 13th century. He was a contemporary of Buton Tamche Khyenpa and associated with the Kalachakra Tantra.

"Arising from the mandala of suffocating black wind at a kalpa's end,
Mistress of a host of activities and pristine awareness,
Leader of the Mamos, Great Queen of the World;
Homage to the Lord of Mantra, Ekajati!" (Nyingma liturgical verse).

Single Braid is a Buddhist deity of India often found in the company of Tara as an attendant figure. She is named for her one braid of hair atop the head, but this characteristic is often lost when she appears in a horrific form. In some Buddhist traditions she is considered the mother of the Glorious Goddess (Shri Devi, Mahakali) and the Great Black One (Mahakala). The Ancient Tradition of Tibet adopted Single Braid as a principal protector and modified the appearance to also mean a single eye and a single breast. Later in the 18th century, the Heart Essence of the Great Expanse tradition of practice further reduced her to one leg, thus making for a truly interesting appearance.

Black background paintings such as this are often used for the most wrathful and horrific images believing that it enhances those characteristics. It was thought that the black ground was first created using the funeral ashes of great teachers. The three seated figures in the upper portion of the painting all pre-date the 13th century.

Jeff Watt 11-2001