Astrological scroll

This fifteen-foot-long vertical astrological handscroll contains more than a hundred charts and illustrations from the Svarodaya Tantra, a text describing astrological practices such as magic, divination, horoscopes, numerology (including martial calculations), healing, and medicine. The Svarodaya Tantra is said to have Shaivite origins in Kashmir and entered Tibet from Jumla in western Nepal during the thirteenth century. This text reached the height of its popularity in Tibet during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries under the regent Desi Sangye Gyatso (1653–1705), especially for its medical and military applications.The drawings in this astrological scroll are remarkable for their superb draftsmanship and the artists’ close attention to detail. Especially notable are the many lively depictions of animals. Note, for instance, the expressive face of the yak-like bovine upon which Shiva and Parvati, presumably a Tibetan version of Shiva’s characteristic bull mount Nandi. The importance of numerology is reflected throughout, with series of numbers appearing repeatedly in the various images.