Item: Kalachakra (Buddhist Deity) - Mantra Monogram
| Origin Location | China |
|---|---|
| Date Range | 1600 - 1699 |
| Size | 69x46.50cm (27.17x18.31in) |
| Material | Ground: Textile Image, Embroidery |
| Collection | Private |
| Catalogue # | Tibet Museum, Lhasa |
Classification: Deity
Kalachakra Mantra Monogram (Tibetan: nam chu wang den), ten syllables combined as one, written in a highly stylized and ornate Ranjana script.
Jeff Watt 5-2005
This example of Chinese textile art, in a Himalayan style, depicts an abstract Buddhist emblem. The symbol is composed of ten letters that make up the short Kalachakra mantra. This embodiment of Kalachakra, as visual sound, is often used as a decorative element in Tibet, where it can be found placed over doorways or at the beginning of books. (Text courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art, June 2005).
Exhibition: Tibet, Treasures from the Roof of the World
Publications
Publication: Bod kyi thangka
Thematic Sets
Textile: Masterworks (纺织品, འཐག་དྲུབ་མ།)
Subject: Mantra Main Page
Buddhist Deity: Kalachakra (Textile Masterworks)
Buddhist Deity: Kalachakra Religious Context
Subject: Ten Syllable Kalachakra Mantra
Buddhist Deity: Kalachakra Main Page
Subject: Symbols Index (Buddhist)