Mongolia
19th century
Mongolia
19th century
This type of painting, which depicts the objects and attributes of wrathful deities along with offerings made to them, would commonly hang in special chapels devoted to protector deities. Unusually this wrathful subject is represented against a uniform background suggesting a grassy ground at the bottom, a foggy horizon, and a blue sky. Hanging from the top edge of the sky are heads, animal pelts, flayed skins, intestines, and bones, a wrathful valance demarcating the space. Located at the center of this painting above a lotus are the handheld objects, garments, and ornaments of Vajrabhairava, one of the most important personal meditation deities of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism, to which most Mongolians adhere. He is flanked by four deities on each side. Along the bottom of the painting, among the many offerings made to the wrathful protector deities, are the “five snouts” essential to Mongolian life: horses, bovines (cows and yak), camels, sheep, and goats.
Prescribed practices that carry symbolic meaning and value within a specific tradition and are intended to attain a desired outcome. Rituals are usually done as part of a ceremony or regular routine.
A religious movement that originated in India around the fifth to seventh century with sacred writings and esoteric teachings and practices transmitted from teacher to student through initiation. These remain an important part of Hinduism and Buddhism today.
A contemplative practice in which a person uses concentration and visualization to achieve aims such as transforming the mind and generating feelings of compassion. Techniques include focusing on breathing or visualizing oneself as a deity.
Mongolians have been widely active in the Tibetan Buddhist world, playing a key role in Tibetan culture, politics, and relations with China. In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire—the largest contiguous empire in world history—facilitated the spread of Tibetan visual culture.
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