Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Palden Lhamo - Who Rides on a Sea of Blood (Protector of the Dalai Lama)

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There are many forms of Palden Lhamo and different schools of Tibetan Buddhism may regard one or another of them as their special protector. She has both peaceful and wrathful forms. Her peaceful manifestation is Ekamatri Shridevi while in wrathful form she is Palden Lhamo in dark blue complexion. In Tibet she is known by many different names, primarily Palden Lhamo, Remati and Palden Lhamo Magzorma. The prevailing terrific aspect is the beatific power vanquishing negative forces, which are psychic activities that bind us to the cycle of life and death. Palden Lhamo is the combative aspect of Saraswati, the voice of Lokeshvara. She assumes a terrific aspect to combat evil forces – hence is Magzorma, the one overpowering and crushing the host of passions. She corresponds to Durga as the slayer of the demon mahisha, Mahishasuramardini. Lhamo vanquishes spiritual demons as well as the demoniac enemies.

In this impressive thangka Lhamo is shown riding on a mule, which is galloping furiously over a sea of blood. It is said that she is riding towards Siberia, after an unsuccessful attempt to convert the king of Lanka to the Dharma. She has three bloodshot eyes. Her hair is upswept and has traces of red paint. Above her head is a fan of peacock feathers. She has four sharp fangs, teeth and laughs with a sound like thunder. She wears a five-skull crown, jewelry and a garland of freshly severed heads. The Necklace of severed heads essentially represents the masculine principle of form and symbolizes the purification of the fifty-one mental factors or thought process. In her right hand she holds a club with a dorje on end, and in her left hand she holds a skull cup. There is a scarf around her neck and shoulders. She wears human skin on the upper part of her back, a cloak, and tiger-skin skirt. The mule has two eyes on its flanks one on each side. The flayed skin of a human being with its head attached acts as a saddle blanket. The mule’s reins, bridle, and trappings are made of snakes.

Two small dakini attendants walk beside the mule. Makaravaktra, with a makara head, is on the left, Simhavaktra, with a lion head, is on the right. Moreover she is surrounded by four more wrathful goddesses of the four seasons of summer, spring, autumn and winter. Goddess of summer, in red complexion, is seated on a blue yak and holds a dorje axe and a skull cup; she is depicted on upper left corner. Goddess of autumn, in light yellow complexion, is seated on a deer and holding a pickaxe and a skull cup. Around her neck are peacock plumes; she is depicted on upper right corner. The upper is filled with the figure of a Gelugpa Lama. Goddess of spring, in blue complexion, is seated on a mule and holds a knife in her right hand and a skull cup in left hand; she is depicted on lower left corner. Goddess of winter, in blue complexion, is depicted in lower right corner. She is seated on a camel and holds a club and a skull cup in her right and left hands, respectively. The bottom center is filled with the wrathful offering of five senses to appease and to gain allegiance of the goddesses.

The teachings of Palden Lhamo were translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan, and an unbroken lineage of her teachings exists in Tibet to the present. From Tibet, the teachings were taken to China, Mongolia and Russia. In India, she is known as the black goddess, Shri Devi. She is considered a wrathful manifestation of Saraswati, the goddess of learning, eloquent speech and arts. Her manifestation is Chamundi, the consort of Yama. Buddha calls her Arya Remati, signifying that she has reached the Path of Seeing – that is, understanding emptiness by direct perception. Brahmancal and Buddhist deities gave her different attributes to make her more powerful protectress. Indra gave her the vajra; Brahma gave her a peacock parasol; Vishnu gave her a sun and moon parasol; Vaishravana gave her a lion-skin parasol; other sky gods gave her a bell; the king of the nagas gave her a many-headed snake hood; earth gods gave her a tiger-skin parasol; demons and cannibals gave her a skull rosary human fat; Mahakala gave her a small spear, and her other subjects gave her their weapons and praised her to the highest.

This thangka is brilliantly drawn and painted. The extended border of this thangka is woven with flowers, vishva vajra and auspicious symbols. it is very much suitable for prayer and sadhana of goddess Palden Lhamo/Shri Devi.

This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on “Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)”.

Click Here to View the Thangka Painting along with its Brocade

Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas

A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha, various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet. Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.

The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.

After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then outlined with black ink.

Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black, green, yellow, etc.

In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification, thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other ordinary paintings.

Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front, and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.