Item: Location - Tashi Lhunpo

Tsongkapa and the two principal students Gyalsab and Khedrub seated in sky atop thrones supported by round billowing clouds.

At the top center is the Tushita heaven with the bodhisattva Maitreya depicted twice. The lower Maitreya is accompanied by Atisha and Tsongkapa.

Below the central figures at the center is the 8th Dalai Lama Jampal Gyatso (1758-1804). The long-life vase held in the left hand in the lap indicates that he was likely still living when the painting was commissioned.

At the bottom of the composition is the tightly compacted monastery of Tashi Lhunpo in the town of Shigatse.

Jeff Watt 1-2013