The Most Famous Religious Object in Tibet

Jowo Shakyamuni of the Rasa Trulnang Tsuklakhang (Jokhang Temple) Northern India or Lhasa, Tibet 500 BCE? or 11th century CE
Sacred painting composed of nested geometric forms; features deities, architectural forms, symbolic motifs, and scenes in miniatureBlue-skinned deity stands in center of geometric arrangement of circles and squares featuring architectural forms at cardinal points

The Art of Transgression and Transformation

Chakrasamvara Mandala with Newar Donors Kathmandu Valley, Nepal ca. 1100
Black and white photograph of palace complex situated on peak of hill within mountain valleyBlack and white aerial photograph of palace complex situated on peak of hill within mountain valley

A Monument of Tibetan Cultural Identity

Potala Palace Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) 1645–1694
Brown and gold fountainhead featuring spout in form of goat emerging from mouth of fantastical creatureBrown and gold rectangular fountainhead featuring spout in form of goat emerging from mouth of fantastical creature

Architectural Expression of Monsoonal Phenomena

Golden Fountain of Bhaktapur Bhaktapur, Nepal 1688

Appliqué Artistic Tradition and the War God Begtse’s Significance in Mongolia

Begtse Monumental Appliqué Yekhe Khüriye, Mongolia late 19th–early 20th century

Mass Production of Images as a Ritual Practice

Molded Clay Image (Tsatsa) of Amoghapasha Guge, Ngari region, western Tibet 11th–12th century
Man sits before statue adorned with garlands and textiles; statue has red, abstract face

Seasonal Travels of the Valley God

Bunga Dya (Bunga Lokeshvara, Karunamaya, Rato Macchendranath) Nepal from the 7th century on
Mask depicting wrathful deity with third eye and bared teeth; features five-skull crown and filigreed beardMask depicting wrathful deity with third eye and bared teeth; features five-skull crown and filigreed beard

Reenacting Foundational Stories as Communal Performance

Ritual Dance Mask of Guru Dorje Drolo Bhutan or southern Tibet ca. 19th century

Lenses of Modernity: Photography in Tibet and the Himalayas

Photograph of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama Lhasa, U region, central Tibet 1921

Sky Symbols of Divine and Cosmic Forces

Thread Crosses Kagbeni, Mustang, Nepal 2007
Scene painted on ochre textile depicting two figures and attendants holding and viewing painting

A Tibetan Artist’s Interest in Archaic Chinese and Kashmiri Art

Arhats Viewing a Painting of Birds by the Tenth Karmapa Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China 1660

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.

Read More About Himalayan Art and Cross-Cultural Exchange

Explore Object Essays

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Side-by-side depictions of robed figure amid landscape and figures in roundels: at left, black and white outline of image; at right, full color
Abounding Visions of Eminent Lives
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)
Hovering above mountainous landscape, four roundels inset with portraits surround central image of saffron-robed figure

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 
Three vertical rectangular panels combine to depict building complex and figures within mountain setting

Tibetan Divination
The White Beryl Illuminated Manuscript Sakya Monastery, Tsang region, central Tibet; 18th century