The story of Himalayan art is illuminated through 108 significant objects from the Neolithic era to today. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, textiles, and architectural structures are brought to life with essays, photographs, interactive maps, and videos for a sweeping journey through the traditions, rituals, social practices, and art of the Himalayan regions, with an emphasis on cross-cultural exchange.
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Alchi Petroglyph Field Ladakh, India; Iron Age (ca. 700–100 BCE)
A Window onto Early Himalayan Artistic and Mortuary Practices
Gold Burial Mask with Engraved Figures Guge, Ngari region, western Tibet; Protohistoric period (ca. 2nd or 1st century BCE)
Mayadevi Giving Birth to Siddhartha Nepal; Varman or Licchavi period, 4th–5th century
The Svayambhu Chaitya of Kathmandu Kathmandu, Nepal; founded ca. 5th century or earlier
Yumbu Lagang Castle Yarlung Valley, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); founded ca. 6th century
Bunga Dya (Bunga Lokeshvara, Karunamaya, Rato Macchendranath) Nepal; from the 7th century on
Jokhang Temple, Lhasa Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); ca. 620–640
Jowo Shakyamuni of the Rasa Trulnang Tsuklakhang (Jokhang Temple) Northern India or Lhasa, Tibet; 500 BCE? or 11th century CE
Maitreya Statue at Jampa Lhakhang, Bhutan Jampa Lhakhang, Chokhor, Bhutan; ca. 7th century
Buddha on the Cosmic Mountain Kashmir; ca. 720
Intertwined Religious Cultures: Buddhism and Hinduism
Bodhisattva Bhaishajyaraja, “The Healing King” Swat Kingdom (present-day Swat District, Pakistan); 8th–9th century
Painted Manuscript Cover Gilgit Kingdom, Greater Kashmir (present-day Baltistan, Pakistan); ca. late 8th or early 9th century
Ancient Tibetan Buddhist Rock Carvings of Vairochana: Portraits of Tibetan Sovereigns and Their Courtiers
Imperial Carvings of Vairochana Denma Drak, Kham region, eastern Tibet (present-day TAR, China); 804
Tibetan Visual Models on the Silk Road
Bhaishajyaguru, the Buddha of Healing Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China; 836
Ceremonial Banquet Vessels in Silver and Gold
Silver Jug Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet; 9th–10th century, based on earlier Sogdian or Uyghur prototypes
Crowned Buddha Nalanda Monastery, northeastern India; 10th century
Rock Carving of Four-Armed Bodhisattva Maitreya Mulbekh, Ladakh, India; ca. 10th–11th century
Vishnu Riding on Garuda Nepal; dated 1004
Kashmiri Aesthetics at the Royal Monastery in Western Tibet
Stupa at Toling Monastery Toling, Ngari region, western Tibet (present-day TAR, China); early 11th century
Avalokiteshvara at Khartse Khartse, Ngari region, western Tibet; ca. early 11th century
The Iconographic Program of a Mid-Eleventh Century Monument
Goddess Dharmameghabhumi in the Tabo Main Temple Tabo Monastery, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India; ca. 1040
Central Shrine Image of Kwa Baha (Hiranyavarna Mahavihar) Patan (Lalitpur), Nepal; ca. 11th century
Illuminated Pages of the Prajnaparamita Sutra Manuscript Nalanda, India; 1073, 1151
Torana of the Main Shrine at Yetakha Baha Kathmandu, Nepal; 10th–11th century
Mahabodhi Temple Model Eastern India; ca. 11th century
Maitreya and Manjushri Mural Dratang Temple, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); ca. 1081–1093
Tara Who Protects from the Eight Great Fears Reting Monastery, U region, central Tibet; ca. 1056–1189
Molded Clay Image (Tsatsa) of Amoghapasha Guge, Ngari region, western Tibet; 11th–12th century
Chakrasamvara Mandala with Newar Donors Kathmandu Valley, Nepal; ca. 1100
The Commemorative Stupas of the Lang/Pakmodrupa Dynasty
Densatil Monastery Pakmodru, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); founded 1158
Cave 3 at Yulin Cave Temples Yulin, Tangut Kingdom (Xixia) (present-day Anxi, Gansu Province, China); ca. late 12th century
A Pancharaksha Print from Khara-Khoto Khara-Khoto, Tangut Kingdom (Xixia) Gansu Province, China; ca. late 12th century
Presence and Power: Footprints in Tibetan Art
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and the Buddha’s Footprints Central Tibet; 12th century
Material and Spiritual Abundance in the Kathmandu Valley
Goddess of Prosperity, Vasudhara Nepal; ca. late 12th–early 13th century
Monumental Manjushri with Mahasiddha-Adorned Robe Alchi Sumtsek, Ladakh, India; ca. 1220
Achala Silk Tapestry Composition: Tangut Kingdom (Xixia), possibly produced in Dingzhou (present-day Baoding, Hebei Province, China); early to mid-13th century
Virupa Sakya Monastery, Tsang region, central Tibet; ca. 1216–1244
Vajracharya Priest’s Crown Nepal; ca. 13th century
Mahakala Stone Sculpture Tibet; dated 1292
White Stupa, Attributed to Nepalese Artist Anige Beijing, China; 1279
Sculpture under Mongol Patronage: An Indian Buddhist Deity in a Nepalo-Tibeto-Chinese Form
Relief Carving of a Nine-Deity Ushnishavijaya Composition, Niche 84 at Feilaifeng Cliff Hangzhou, China; ca. 1282–1292
Mongol Messenger’s Badge (Paiza or Gerege) in Pakpa Script Mongol Empire/Yuan dynasty; late 13th–early 14th century
Padmasambhava and His Manifestations Tibet; late 13th century or later
The Chorten Cave of Luri Luri, present-day Mustang District, Nepal; ca. 1300
The Temple of Wanla Wanla, Ladakh, India; first half of the 14thcentury
Vajrabhairava Mandala Mongol Empire/Yuan dynasty, probably Daidu (Beijing, China); ca. 1329
Mongol Patronage, Nepalese Artists, and Murals as a Public Marketing Strategy for Sacred Books
Mural Painting at Zhalu Monastery Zhalu Monastery, Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); ca. 1340
Stabilizing Empire through Buddhist Architectural Monument, Text, and Image
Juyong Guan Stupa Gate Changping District, Beijing, China; 1345
Queen Dipamala as the Goddess Prajnaparamita Western Nepal/western Tibet; mid-14th century
Mandala of Manjuvajra of the Vajravali Set Commissioned in Memory of Lama Dampa Lhokha, Central Tibet; 1375–1380
Dorje Discovered by Dorje Lingpa Discovered in Senge Dzong, Bhutan; attributed to the 8th century, discovered in the 14th century
A Ming Dynasty Monastery at the Sino-Tibetan Frontier
Qutan Monastery (Drotsang Dorje Chang) Drotsang, Tsongkha, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (present-day Ledu county, Qinghai Province, China); 1392–1427
Pensive Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Nanjing or Beijing, China; Yongle period (1403–1424)
Murals at Toling Dukhang “Ornament of the World” Toling Monastery, Guge Kingdom, Ngari region, western Tibet (present-day TAR, China); 15th century (ca. 1424–1458)
An Architectural Representation of Complete Tantric Knowledge
Gyantse Kumbum Pelkhor Chode Monastery, Gyantse, Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR); ca. 1427–1442
Jivarama’s Sketchbook Tibet (and Nepal?); 1435
Carrying Out Acts of Service in the Buddhist Community
Nepalese Paubha Commemorating the Death of Pandita Vanaratna Gopicandra Monastery, Patan, Nepal; 1469
Reexamining Khyentse Chenmo and His Painting Tradition
Murals of Gongkar Chode Gongkar Chode Monastery, Lhoka, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); 1464–1476
Standing Buddha Shakyamuni Donated by Lundeva Kathmandu, Nepal; 15th century,commissioned in a 9th–10th-century style
Bon Deity Trowo Tsochok Khagying Tibet; 15th century
A Bhutanese Buddhist Master’s Treasure House
Tamshing Temple Bumthang District, Bhutan; 1501–1505
Earliest Extant Printed Edition of Milarepa’s Life Story Ron Wosel Puk, Gungtang, Southwest Tibet; 1538
Portrait of Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub Mustang, Nepal; first half of the 16th century
Dabaojigong Temple Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China; founded 1582
The Sixteenth-Century Renaissance of Buddhism in Mongolia
Erdeni Juu Monastery Övörkhangai Province, Mongolia; founded 1582
Portrait of the Ninth Karmapa Central Tibet (possibly Tsurpu Monastery); ca. 1590
The Goddess of Miraculous Power
Siddhi Lakshmi (Purnachandi) Nepal; ca. 16th–17th century
The History, Literature, and Art of Tibetan Swords
Sword, Scabbard, and Sword Belt Tibet; Blade: ca. 16th–17th century; Hilt, Scabbard, and Belt: ca. early 18th–mid-19th century
Taranatha’s Vision of Shakyamuni’s Quest
A Monumental Life of the Buddha Mural Puntsok Ling Monastery, Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); ca. 1615–1630
Portrait of Ngadak Puntsok Rigdzin Lo Gekhar, Mustang, Nepal; mid-17th century
Potala Palace Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); 1645–1694
Arhats Viewing a Painting of Birds by the Tenth Karmapa Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China; 1660
Medicine, Science, and the Everyday in Tibetan Art
Desi Sanggye Gyatso’s Medical Paintings Lhasa, U region, central Tibet; 1687–1697
Architectural Expression of Monsoonal Phenomena
Golden Fountain of Bhaktapur Bhaktapur, Nepal; 1688
The Mongolian Artist Zanabazar and the Mongol Devotion to the Future Buddha Maitreya
Maitreya Mongolia; 1680s
Bhutan’s Most Acclaimed Religious Sanctuary
Taktsang, the Tiger’s Lair Paro District, western Bhutan; founded 1692–1694
The Kalachakra Mandala in the Potala Palace Lhasa, U region, central Tibet; late 17th century
Wrathful Tantric Imagery at the Seat of the Tibetan State Oracle
Nechung Monastery Murals Nechung Monastery, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); ca. 1682
Prayer Wheel Tibet or Mongolia; 17th–18th century
Lukhang Murals Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China); ca. 1700 and later
Nartang Woodblock Prints and Their Painted Copies: Previous Lives of the Panchen Lamas Nartang printing house, Tsang region, central Tibet; second quarter of 18th century (and a painted copy)
Vajrapani Dolonnuur, Inner Mongolia; mid-18th century
Portrait of Situ Panchen Pelpung Monastery, Derge, Kham region, eastern Tibet; ca. 1760s
Tibetan Buddhism at the Qing Court
The Qianlong Emperor as Manjushri-Chakravartin Imperial workshop in Beijing, China, with face by Giuseppe Castiglione; mid-18th century
Icons Marking the Communal Performance of Buddhist Rituals
Plaque Commemorating the Bhimaratha Old Age Ritual Kathmandu, Nepal; November 1775
Tibetan Divination
The White Beryl Illuminated Manuscript Sakya Monastery, Tsang region, central Tibet; 18th century
Cultural Translation of a Tantric Visualization Practice
The All-Knowing Buddha Vairochana Visualization Album Wangzimiao Temple, Aokhan Banner, Inner Mongolia; ca. 18th–19th century
Portable Shrine (Tashi Gomang) Bhutan; 18th–19th century
The Multifaceted Power of Ornament
Tayo-bizakani Ritual Necklace with Naga, Peacock, and Dragon Motifs Nepal; ca. 19th century
Vessels as Containers of Potential
Pitcher Nepal; ca. 19th century
Panoramic Map of Mount Wutai Cifu Temple, Mount Wutai, China; 1846
The Mountain Palace of a Worldly Divinity
Mountain God Kula Khari Tibet; 19th century
Double-Sided Skull Drum Tibet; probably 19th century
Ritual Dance Mask of Guru Dorje Drolo Bhutan or southern Tibet; ca. 19th century
Appliqué Artistic Tradition and the War God Begtse’s Significance in Mongolia
Begtse Monumental Appliqué Yekhe Khüriye, Mongolia; late 19th–early 20th century
Mapping Yekhe Khüriye’s Cityscape as the “Capital City”
Mongolian Map of Capital Yekhe Khüriye Mongolia; 1912
Wheel of Existence Central Tibet; ca. early 20th century
Lenses of Modernity: Photography in Tibet and the Himalayas
Photograph of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama Lhasa, U region, central Tibet; 1921
Shambhala Kings Mural Sengge Shong Mago Monastery, Rebkong, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (present-day Qinghai Province, China); ca. 1935
Saddle Carpet for the Yabzhi Punkhang Ceremonial Cavalry Gyantse, Tsang region, central Tibet; 1930s
Saddle Made for Yuthok Tashi Dhondup Derge, Kham region, southeastern Tibet; ca. 1943–1947
Tibet’s First Modern Artist
Gendun Chopel’s Woman Applying Kohl India; ca. 1940
Bhutanese Men’s Garment (Gho) Bhutan; 1970–1980
Monumental Statue of Guru Rinpoche Samdruptse, Namchi, Sikkim, India; 2004
Tormas Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China); 2006–2014
Sky Symbols of Divine and Cosmic Forces
Thread Crosses Kagbeni, Mustang, Nepal; 2007
Amulet Box (Gau) with Its Contents Kathmandu, Nepal; first decade of the 21st century
Ice Buddha Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (TAR, China); 2006