Item: Walse Ngampa (Bon Deity)

Walse Ngampa (Tibetan: dbal g.sas rngam pa): fierce Tutelary Deity of Body, from the Five Excellent Deities of the Se Fortress according to the Father Gyu (Bon Tantra). (See the Walse Ngampa Main Page).

Wrathful in appearance, blue-black in colour, with nine faces and eighteen hands, the three main faces are blue, white and red. Each face has three eyes. Above, the middle faces are that of a tiger, lion and leopard. Above that are a dragon, kyung (King of Birds) and chusing (water monster). Dark yellow flame-like hair flows upward. The two main hands hold a purba (peg) at the heart and embrace the consort - with one face, two hands, and green of colour, wearing a leopard skin skirt. The remaining hands extend to the sides holding various weapons, animals and miscellaneous objects. The main faces are adorned with crowns, earrings and the like. Wrathful vestments decorate the body. In a threatening posture with the left leg bent and the right straight, above two naked figures, a sun disc, multi-coloured lotus and a square throne, he is surrounded by brightly burning orange and red flames of wisdom.

At the top center is Kunzang Gyalwa Dupa with Lachen Dranpa Namkha slightly below on the left side. Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen is seated slightly below on the viewer's right side.

At the bottom center is Sipai Gyalmo, blue, with three faces and six hands. Extremely fierce in appearance, she rides on a mule surrounded by grey smoke. The Queen of the World is both a meditational deity and a protector. She is one of the most frequently propitiated figures in the Bon religion, and extends her protection to both religious practitioners and common people. Though horrific and wrathful in form she embodies the qualities of wisdom and compassion. To the slightly upper right side the protector Nege Jampa, blue, wrathful, with one face and two hands riding on a grey-blue otter. At the left is a red 'tsen' daemon, Tsenggo Dragpa Gyaltsen, dressed as a warrior, a worldly protector, with one face and two hands, riding a red horse. At the bottom right and left are the Gyalchen Shi protector deities each with an animal head.

Jeff Watt [updated 2-2026]