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The The Five Pehar Gyalpo Ku Nga (Kings) of the Terma (Treasure) Lineage of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism are worldly protector deities. Although one individual deity, Pehar has five forms representing body, speech, mind, quality and activity. Each of the five has a different appearance. The most common form to appear in art is Activity Pehar with three faces, white in colour and riding a lion.

1. King of Body - Monbu Putra

2. King of Speech - Dra Lha Kye Chigbu

3. King of Mind - Gya Jin

4. King of Qualities - Shing Cha Chen

5. King of Activities - Pehar

"In former times at Glorious Red Rock, Acharya Padmasambhava, inviting the profound vast protector, Had bound by an oath as the entrusted steward of all Dharma Establishments; To Pehar I bow." (Nyingma liturgical verse).

Pehar is a non-Tibetan spirit who is believed to have been subjugated by Guru Rinpoche and bound by an oath to protect all the Buddhist temples and monasteries of Tibet. Other stories relate how Pehar was a local protector in the northern regions of Bata-Hor, conquered by Tri Songtsen Gampo, and brought back to Tibet hidden in the horde of plundered wealth. This group of five Pehar figures, originally belonging to the Nyingma 'Revealed Treasure' Tradition, was later incorporated into the Gelugpa School at the time of the 5th Dalai Lama, and can be found in other Tibetan Buddhist schools depending on the preferences of individual monasteries. Some traditions claim that, like the Direction King Vaishravana, Pehar Gyalpo Ku Nga has attained the 10th level Bodhisattva ground - a Mahayana level of attainment - immediately preceding the full enlightenment of a Buddha.

The 'King Appearance' in Himalayan art is a specific type of figurative form. The principal characteristics are the face often with a stern look achieved by upturned eyebrows accompanied by a mustache and goatee. The clothing is heavy and layered with multiple colours, a cloth head covering or hat sometimes with a small jeweled crown, and boots on the feet.

The specific group of Shambhala Kings have two systems of depiction. The traditional system, most commonly found in  painting and sculpture, depicts the individual Shambhala Kings in 'King Appearance.' The second system originating with the Jonang Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism depicts the Shambhala Kings in 'Deity Appearance' with either peaceful, semi-peaceful/wrathful or wrathful forms depending on the specific king and their associated bodhisattva or Tantric deity.

In Tibetan Buddhist narratives there are also kings that are not depicted in 'king appearance.' There is also a category of worldly spirits called 'King Spirits' (gyalpo). These spirits are included in a larger group called the 'Eight Types of [harmful] Worldly Spirits.' From this group of 'King Spirits' some have been subjugated and added to the class of Worldly Protectors of Tibetan Buddhism. The most famous of these is Pehar Gyalpo.

Number Sets for Kings:

1. Three Kings of Tibet

2. Four Guardian Kings

3. Seven Kings of Shambhala

4. Twenty-five Shambhala Vidyadhara

Names of the Kings in Himalayan Art:

- Shakyamuni Buddha (as a prince as depicted in life story paintings)

- Four Direction Guardian Kings

- Tri Songtsen Gampo

- Trisong Detsen

- Tri Ralpachen

- (other Tibetan Kings and Ministers)

- Gar Tongtsen (Minister to Songtsen Gampo)

- Ligmincha (last King of Zhangzhung)

- Indrabhuti (also included in the 8 and 84 Mahasiddha sets)

- Gesar Dorje Tsegyal

- Konchog Bang (Dalai Lama Incarnation Set)

- Yashas (Panchen Lama Incarnation Set)

- Shambhala Kings (Sets of 25, 32 or 37 figures)

- Rudracharin (the last Shambhala King)

- Kadam Legbam Text (various Kings)

- Jataka & Avadana Stories (various Kings)

- Others....

Many have heard of the famous black hat of the Karmapa and the red hat of the Shamarpa, maybe the lotus hat of Padmasambhava and the yellow hat of the Gelugpa Tradition. What about a white hat that is identical to the black hat of Gyalwa Karmapa?

In East Tibet there is a Kagyu Lama named Tsatsa Drubgon Rinpoche. He wears a white hat identical to the Karmapa black hat. This white hat according to the Tibetan biography of Tsatsa Rinpoche is said to have come about as a gift of the 8th Karmapa Mikyo Dorje. In his vision Karmapa saw that Tsatsa Rinpoche had four great characteristics: outer, inner, secret and very secret. The outer characteristic is that Karmapa saw Tsatsa as being very white, of a pure white colour - like the appearance of the goddess of wisdom and learning, Sarasvati. Another of the characteristics was that he embodied the Mahamudra - the highest philosophical view found in the new Tantras from India in the 11th century.

It would seem that it was the outer characteristic that led to the gift of the white hat given by the 8th Karmapa, of the Karma Kagyu Tradition, along with a seal that that has two different styles of lettering. The first with the letters in Tibetan script found in the four corners of the square seal reads Karma pa'i Tsatsa Lama. The central area of the seal in the shape of a cartoche atop a lotus with five visible petals is written in Pagpa'i Script and reads Tsatsa Lama.

Actually it is said that this Tsatasa was one of the principal students of the 7th Karmapa. Prior to that time the earliest documented pre-incarnation was a student of Pagmodrupa and Tstsa followed Pagdru Kagyu Tradition. After the time of the 8th Karmapa the Tsatsa Lamas became more closely assoiciated with the Karma Kagyu Tradition. The name tsatsa of Tsatsa Rinpoche occurred because at one time he spent time making many tsatsa offering molds of all types. When he made water tsatsa they would turn into crystal. After that he was known as Tsatsa Rinpoche.

Tsatsa Monastery is the principal temple in the Lingtsang region of Kham, Tibet (Dege, Sichuan, China). Very close to this location is the birth place of Ling Gesar - within walking distance. Although the region of Lingtsang is now included within the greater Dege region, in the past Lingtsang was the principal kingdom with the Lingtsang Gyalpo as the King of the entire region. At that time the area of Dege was included as Lingtsang territory. In the later history a small portion of Lingtsang land was given to a deserving subject of the Lintsang Kingdom. That portion of land, not considered very good, but considered quite auspicious and imbued with blessing, became known as Dege and again later, as the Dege kingdom with its own King.


In the past there have been eight Tsatsa incarnate Lamas. Recently the 9th was recognized as a small child in the area of Lingtsang, Kham. The 7th Tsata Drubgon lived during the exciting time of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamgon Kongtrul in the 19th century. From the time of Kongtrul the 7th and 8th Drubgon have maintained the history, teachings, initiations and special precepts of the Shangpa Kagyu Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism according to the teachings of Jamgon Kongtrul. During tha last half of the 20th century, in India Kalu Rinpoche maintained the Shangpa Tradition and in Tibet Tsatsa Drubgon maintained the Shangpa Kagyu. Today in the region of Lingtsang and Kangdze there are both monasteries and retreat centers following the Shangpa Tradition albeit under the overall supervision of the Karma Kamtsang Tradition to which Jamgon Kongtrul belonged.

It is not presently known if the white hat shown in the image above is believed to be the original white hat or a replacement hat to symbolize the original. Only one painting so far is known to depict a figure wearing a white hat identical to that of Karmapa.

Tibetan Source Text: sgrub sprul brgyad pa'i mdzad rnam dang gsung gces bsdus.

The Punstog Ling Cave complex in Upper Mustang, Nepal, is one of four special Buddhist monastic/retreat complexes located in the region. The four sites starting in the West and moving East are: [1] Ganden Ling, [2] Puntsog Ling, [3] Ritseling and [4] Konchogling. Of the four, Puntsog Ling is the most damaged externally by the environment and internally by human action. The complex is a great study in the erosion of such caves in Mustang. The most stunning image is the first encountered at the site and shows a figure recessed only inches from the outer walls - hillside - of the cave but in fact what is being seen is a mural originally located at the back wall of a cave that existed 100s of years ago. Erosion has removed the entrance and side walls of the hillside so much that the image is almost completely exposed and at the mercy of constant weathering.

The Ritseling Cave is located in Upper Mustang on a peak West of the Konchog Ling Cave. Prior to the last few years it appears as though no one has entered the small cave complex in several hundred years. It has an assortment of murals with a large mandala close to the entrance along with several Buddha figures. Towards the back of the cave there is a mural depicting narrative scenes possibly of one of the occupants of the cave and his travels through Tibet and especially to Lhasa. Various protector deities are found along with a stunning image - large in size - of the nine faced, eighteen armed Garuda. The only other image of this Garuda in a Buddhist context is found in Phyang Monastery, Ladakh, India.

The Luri Cave in Mustang, Nepal, has some of the earliest and most beautiful Buddhist wall murals. A set of the Eight Great Mahasiddhas stands out for the fine line and early iconographic features.

The Mustang region of West Nepal is filled with hundreds if not thousands of caves cut into the mountainsides. They have been used as homes, storage facilities, burial sites, refuge from invasion, and retreat dwellings for Bon and Buddhist practitioners. The age of some of the caves date back several thousand years while others - more recent - may have been created as late as five hundred years ago.

Some of the many caves are decorated with beautiful murals. The Konchog Ling Cave in Upper Mustang depicts Vajradhara, Chaturbhuja Avalokiteshvara and Tara as the largest figures and then a portion of the Eighty-four Mahasiddhas according to the Vajrasana system of enumeration. Each siddha figure is accompanied by the famous four line verse (unique for each siddha) composed by Vajrasana - an abbot of Bodhgaya in the 11th century.

The cave has suffered damage from natural erosion and the remainder of the Eighty-four siddhas have been lost due to the outer walls of the cave crumbling away. The date of the paintings is believed to be the 13th or 14th century.

Images of Dzongsar Institute in North India. The murals painted on the walls at the entrance of the main temple are of interest because they depict both the new Temple in India and the original Dzongsar Monastery in Kham, Tibet. On another section of wall are King Gesar and several attendant figures along with a quote from the Manjushri Namasangiti Tantra which Khyentse Chokyi Lodro believed was phrophetic and heralding the coming of Gesar to Tibet.

Avalokiteshvara, Arya Lokeshvara (Tibetan: pag pa chen re zi. English: the Noble All Seeing Lord) commonly referred to in English as Pagpa Lokeshvara. This is a unique sculptural form of Avalokiteshvara which is believed to have its origins in the famous Pagpa Lokeshvara statue of the Red Fort of Marpo-ri, later to be known as the Potala Palace of Lhasa, Tibet. There are many versions of this sculpture in both wood and ivory found in collections around the world. One of the largest of these sculptures is from Kyirong in Southern Tibet, now housed in Dharamsala, India. Another large sculpture with a full torana is in a palace chapel in Mustang, Nepal.

Ian Alsop in his article Phagpa Lokes'vara of the Potala identifies and provides images for over 17 of these unique forms. Since the publishing of the article many more have been identified in other collections.

(For additional information see Phagpa Lokes'vara of the Potala by Ian Alsop. Orientations, 1990).

Drala, worldly protector: accompanied by Brahma, Vishnu and six warrior attendants. The central figure riding a horse, currently unidentified, in Drala appearance, has some similarities to King Gesar but the retinue does not correspond well with the writings on Gesar popularized by Mipam Rinpoche in the 19th century. It is possible that this form of Gesar is based on a 'Revealed Treasure' or 'Pure Vision' of some other teacher from Kham in the 19th century. The painting is beautifully drawn and coloured with all of the figures placed in a forward focussed direction - indicating that the composition likely stands alone and does not belong to a set of paintings.

The subject of these paintings is a dialogue between Maitreya and Manjushri following a Mahayana Buddhist narrative. Probably the most famous depiction of this narrative is found in Dratang Monastery, Tibet, painted in the 11th century. Although damaged both by time and human events the beauty of the Dratang murals is immediately evident. There are minor difference in the various depictions and the iconography of the figures, but the story remains the same.

One of the most exciting things about the study of Himalayan and Tibetan art is the tracking of artists. The excitment really peaks when a composition is suspected of being related to other paintings and then subsequently identified by style, brushstroke, etc., to in fact be related to those other works. The painting of Maitreya and Manjushri is just such a painting.

The image of the Maitreya and Manjushri painting was recently uploaded to the HAR website and was quietly waiting to be catalogued. It was observed that the composition of the Maitreya was similar to other paintings on HAR - specifically a set of Karma Kagyu Lineage paintings.

In comparing the details of the recently uploaded painting and the Karma Kagyu set it was observed that the thrones were a shared single seat for two figures. It was observed that the brushstrokes of the faces and facial features were very similar. After that it became a flood of similarities leading the HAR team to believe that the Maitreya painting and the Karma Kagyu Lineage set were created and painted by the same single (currently unknown) artist. The real Art History detective work begins now.

The Temple Door of Mindrolling Monastery, India, is a wonderful example of both metal work and design with intricate detailing, mythical animals and a medallion depicting the story of the Four Harmonious Friends.

In Manduwalla, North India, near Dehradun there is a small Bon Monastery with some nice art - although mostly new. What is most interesting are the unique iconographic forms, a graphic map of the sacred land of Olmo Lungring and the Bon version of the Wheel of Life (Sipa'i khorlo).

Chakrasamvara is an extremely complex field of study in Tantric Buddhism  - followed by a very large variety of forms of the deity. Some of the more common forms might be identified readily because of their popularity in art and continued use in the major Tibetan, Himalayan and Mongolian traditions. There are however many more forms that can defy identification without a solid knowledge of the different Chakrasamvara tantras and their more than numerous commentaries. This page was created to show a few common forms as well as to introduce a little of the variety of depictions that can be found in the art and literature.

White Tara, (Tibetan: drol ma kar mo): the female Buddha of longevity. Tara is a completely enlightened buddha and as a young bodhisattva she promised always to appear in the form of a female bodhisattva and goddess for the benefit of all beings and especially to protect from the eight fears. In this white form she appears specifically for the purpose of bestowing longevity. Practiced in all Schools of Tibetan Buddhism Tara is second in popularity only to Avalokiteshvara. Her practices are found in all classes of tantra - Nyingma and Sarma.

"...with a hue white like an autumn moon - radiant like a stainless crystal jewel, shining with rays of light, one face, two hands, and having three eyes; with the conduct of having sixteen years of age. The right hand is in the mudra of supreme generosity; the left holds with the thumb and forefinger the stem of a white utpala to the heart with the petals blossoming at the ear. Representing the buddhas of the three times the single stem is divided into three, in the middle is a blossoming flower, the right in fruition, the left in the form of a bud; adorned with various jewel ornaments; having various silk upper garments and a lower garment of red silk; seated with the legs in vajra posture. The palms of the hands and feet each have an eye - the seven eyes of pristine awareness." (Sachen Ngagwang Kunga Lodro, 1729-1783).

Forms & Types:

- White Tara (without extra eyes) Atisha Tradition

- White Tara (with seven eyes)

- White Tara (with four arms) (Bari & Sadhanamala Tradition)

- White Tara (with consort) Khyentse Tradition (Terma)

- White Tara (and the Eight Fears)

- White Tara forms (from the Five Systems of Twenty-one Taras)

- Others...

This group of Dralha known as The Nine Brothers are a popular subject in art and frequently found depicted in paintings. So far there does not appear to be any examples prior to a 17th century. It is likely that they gained popularity, along with many of the other Tibetan worldly gods, during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngagwang Lobzang Gyatso (1617-1682), with some of the earliest texts written by the 7th Dalai Lama, Kalzang Gyatso (1708-1757). This would also help to explain the popularity of the Nine Brothers in China and Mongolia.

The central figure depicted in paintings is Dralha Tatug Karpo, white in colour, with one face and two hands, dressed as a warrior and riding a white horse. The upraised right hand holds a whip made of a length of bamboo with three joints. Holding the reins in the left hand, he also supports a spear in the bend of the elbow. Surrounding the central figure are eight almost identical Dralha brothers.

The iconography of the Dralha Nine Brothers is not consistent and they can appear either with a peaceful, semi-peaceful or wrathful demeanor. The attributes in the hands can also vary from a riding whip, spear or sword in the right hand to a spear, lasso or simply the horse reins in the left hand. More detailed paintings sometimes depict various birds and animals surrounding the central figure. Amongst the examples available on HAR only one central figure is holding a sword. It is also likely that there are several different textual traditions and ways of depicting the Nine Brothers.

Dralha Appearance, especially in the terminology of artists, refers to a figure having the general appearance of a Tibetan warrior - typically male, wearing armor and riding a horse. They can have a peaceful, semi-peaceful or wrathful expression. Many Tibetan & Himalayan Mountain Gods have this Dralha appearance, however not all of them are defined or referred to as Dralha, although they have the appearance of a Dralha.

There are two generals ways in which the Tibetan term 'dralha' is understood in Himalayan and Tibetan art: (1) as a class of gods and (2) as a general warrior appearance.

1. Dralha is the name of a class of indigenous gods inhabiting the Himalayas, Tibet and Central Asia. They are found in both the Bon and Buddhist religions. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Dralha are said to have been subjugated and then forced into the service of Buddhism as worldly protector gods by the 8th century Indian teacher Padmasambhava.

The Tibetan word 'dralha' is considered to be a Buddhist word having been changed from the word 'drablha' used in the Bon Religion and referring to a 'life god' associated with a person, tribe or place. See a depiction of Dralha Yesi Gyalpo the special protector and 'life god' of the Bon Religion founder Tonpa Shenrab - when he was a mere boy - according the early life stories.

2. Dralha Appearance, especially in the terminology of artists, refers to a figure having the general appearance of a Tibetan warrior - typically male, wearing armor and riding a horse. They can have a peaceful, semi-peaceful or wrathful expression. Many Tibetan & Himalayan Mountain Gods have this Dralha appearance, however not all of them are defined or referred to as Dralha, although they have the appearance of a Dralha.

For all of those gods that are classified as Dralha, when appearing in a painting composition, typically Krodha Vajrapani blue in colour and wrathful in appearance, is placed above at the top center. This indicates that the Dralha are worldly gods under the watchful gaze of the powerful Vajrapani. Some paintings will alternately have Padamasambhava at the top center. It is very easy to confuse the appearance of an ordinary protector Dralha from the various sub-sets and the figure of King Gesar who is often depicted in Dralha appearance.

Many commonly known gods and deities have Dralha Appearance such as: Tsiu Marpo and most 'Tsen' deities, Dorje Setrab, Amnye Machen Pomra, Draglha Gonpo, and many more.

1. Five Personal Gods
which include a Dralha (or all are referred to as Dralha)

2. Nine Dralha Brothers

3. Thirteen Dralha

4. Gesar, Dralha

5. Others...

Chakrasamvara with Five Deities according to the tradition of Ghantapa (Ghantapada). Although referred to as a five deity mandala there are actually six figures with the two central embracing deities, Chakrasamvara and Vajrayogini, counted as one. The Chakrasamvara figure of the Ghantapa Tradition is identical to the form of Chakrasamvara as represented in the famous Sixty-two Deity Mandala of the Mahasiddha Luipa Tradition.

General Description: At the center is Chakrasamvara with four faces and twelve hands, embracing Vajrayogini. In the East is blue Dakini, South is yellow Rupini, West is red Khandarohe and North is green Lama. In some texts the four attendant dakinis are said to have two hands holding a curved knife and skullcup. In other texts they are described as having four hands and holding a curved knife and skullcup along with a damaru and katvanga staff. However it is generally stated in the Tibetan commentaries that in the Luipa Tradition the four dakinis have four arms and in the Ghantapa Tradition they have two arms. In the four intermediate directions are four vases topped with a skullcup.

The significant iconographic feature of the form of Chakrasamvara is the consort embracing the body with both legs raised and wrapped about the torso. Another characteristic are the four faces. The central face is blue with the proper right face yellow, left face green and the back face is red. This configuration of faces is different from the Krishnacharin system of Chakrasamvara where the faces are blue for the main, white for the proper right, red for the proper left and yellow at the back. The Ghantapa form of the deity and mandala can easily be mistaken for the Thirteen Deity Chakrasamvara according to the Maitripa Tradition (see example). The difference is in the number of deities with the Maitripa adding four intermediate dakinis and four Door Guardians.