Blue lotus protective triangle. Distemper painting by a Tibetan painter., result 1 of 1

Blue lotus protective triangle. Distemper painting by a Tibetan painter.

Tankas (Tibetan scrolls) Distemper painting.

distemper on linen ;

linen 25 x 20 cm

1 painting :

In the centre of the painting is a black triangle surrounded by flames. The apex of the triangle is at the bottom, pointing downward in the manner of a phur pa (ritual dagger) used for fighting demons. The triangle may represent the triangular hearth (Tibetan thab khun or hearth hole) used in the 'burnt offering' ceremony (Sanskrit homa, Tibetan sbyin sreg). There are four kinds of burnt offering: pacification, enrichment, subjugation and wrath. For each type the hearth has a different shape, and in the case of the burnt offerings of wrath, it is triangular. Within the triangle is a sixteen-leaved blue lotus with the syllable hri? written in golden letters in rañjani (lantsa) script on the eight inner leaves. The centre contains the syllable om Above the triangle with the lotus there are three birds: a garuda, a golden eagle and a black eagle. Below the triangle there are four animals: a white lion with a dark blue mane, a wolf, a female monkey and a tiger. On each of the three sides there is a wild man. One is brandishing a scimitar, one a chopper and a scimitar, and one an elephant hook. The hand and scimitar-tip emerging in the top left hand corner of the triangle suggest another wild man hidden behind the triangle

Image and original data from Wellcome Collection