Himalayan Art Resources

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Tibetan Worldly Protectors in Art Prior to the 17th Century

The images in this gallery each contain, as a secondary figure, a Tibetan Worldly Protector. A single image is of Tseringma, local protector of Shalu Monastery, in a standing posture, wearing peacock feathers. This image is a detail belonging to a mural located in the Lokeshvara chapel accessed from the ground floor circumambulatory of Shalu.


The other secondary images in the gallery depict Tashi Tseringma riding a lion and Damchen Garwa Nagpo riding a goat. 

Sakya Painting Chronology - Added

This is a work in progress, an exercise in chronologically listing paintings according to inscription based dating. This first gallery contains a selection of Sakya paintings that can generally be dated to within two and ten years of manufacture.

Durga Masterworks - Updated

The Durga Masterworks Page has been updated with additional images.


The Warrior Goddess is the fearsome - demon destroying - form of the Daughter of the Himalayas, Parvati. Although she has many different origin myths associating her with different gods such as Brahma, Vishnu and Krishna, her relationship with Shiva and Parvati is popular in the Himalayan regions. According to chapter 38 of the Garuda Purana (10th-12th c.) Durga can have twenty-eight, eighteen, twelve, eight or four arms. Two lists of eighteen hand attributes are named in chapter 38 but neither of these lists accurately describe the many eighteen armed Nepalese sculpture of Durga. Other forms of Durga with ten and six arms are also commonly found.