Nyenchen Thanglha

If the sacred mountains are depicted as war deities, they are equipped with bow and arrow, and wear suits of armour. At the upper edge of the canvas, we find gods and high lamas of erudite Buddhism as reference to the integration of these originally pre-Buddhist deities into the divine world of Buddhism. The lower edge shows offerings for the deity at the centre of the painting, and figures from his entourage.
Nyenchen Thanglha is among the most popular sacred mountains in Tibet. He protects Mount Marpori in Lhasa, home of the Dalai Lama’s Potala Palace, and dwells in one of its many temples. Portrayed above Nyenchen Thanglha, Guru Rinpoche subdued the god and bound him under oath to protect Buddhism.