Virupa and Kanha (T: nal jor wang chug bir wa pa. Nag po pa shar chog pa): This painting, number two in the series, belongs to a larger set of paintings depicting the lineage of teachers for the Path together with the Result (S. margapala) teachings of mahasiddha Virupa.

The set of paintings was commissioned between 1419 and 1430 by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo as part of the funerary services for his teacher Buddhashri who passed away in 1419.

Directly above the two central figures are three deities, from the (viewers) left is Samputa Nairatmya with one face and four hands, Shri Hevajra, and Nairatmya with two hands.

The twenty-one figures along the top and side registers follow the list of the Eighty-four mahasiddhas according to the Vajrasana system of the 11th century. The next three paintings in the greater set would contain the remaining sixty-three siddhas. In the top register beginning at the (viewers) left are Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Luipa, Padmavajra, Saraha, Saroruhavajra, Virupa and Dombi Heruka.

Descending on the (viewers) left side are Busuku (Shantideva), Ghantapa, Jnanapada, Indrabhuti, Kotalipa and Lawapa. Below those mahasiddhas is the deity Akshobhya Hevajra of the Hevajra Tantra. Descending on the right side are Jalandhara, Kukkuripa, Krishnacharya, Naropa, Tantrapa, Chandragomi and Kantopa.

Along the bottom are white Gauri, yellow Chauri, red Vetali, green Ghashmari, blue Pukkashi, white Shavari, blue Chandali and green Dombini.

At the bottom center a small inscription in gold identifies the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Buddhashri as the person the set of paintings were created to honour. Below that on the right and left sides are the four-line prayers for Virupa and Kanha.

"Knowing all that is most secret,
Through effort gaining the excellent state,
With love performing the benefit of others;
To Virupa I bow."

"With the profound advice
Release my mind, performing the benefit of others
With the practice of vows;
To Kanha I bow." (Written by Chogyal Pagpa).

(See Sonam Tsemo and Dragpa Gyaltsen from the same set: MFA Boston).

Jeff Watt 12-2005