The Buddha and the Sacred Site

Goddess Palden Lhamo

Catalogue number: 14
Country: Central Tibet, Densatil Monastery
Date: 15th century
Medium: Gilt copper alloy, color, and semiprecious stones
Dimensions: H. 22 1/2 x W. 22 3/4 x D. 5 3/4 in. (57.2 x 57.5 x 14.5 cm)
Credit Line: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.: Purchase Friends of Asian Arts in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, S1997.27
Site: Lhasa

This decorative element from the base of a funerary stupa (called chorten in Tibetan) shows Palden Lhamo, the protective deity of Tibet's capital, Lhasa. The stupa was one of the many structures created for the elaborately decorated Densatil Monastery in central Tibet. During the fifteenth century, Densatil was one of the wealthiest monasteries in Tibet. Palden Lhamo appears here on a wild donkey striding on a lotus base. She has three eyes said to flash like lightning and brandishes a sword.

PHOTO CREDIT: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution