Begtse Chen
Artist
Mongolian (Mongolian)Date
19th centuryMedium
Ink, pigments, giliding on paper with silver, copper frameDimensions
Image : 3 x 2 3/8 in. (7.62 x 6.03 cm)Work : 3 1/2 x 2 5/8 x 3/8 in. (8.89 cm x 6.67 cm x 10 mm)
Credit Line
Gift of David Kamansky and Gerald WheatonObject Number
2016.22.2.1.A-CLabel
Begtse, also called Jamsaran in Mongolia, appears here flanked by two attendants: Sogdag Marpo on the left riding a wolf, and Rigspa Lhamo on the right riding a bear. The figures on the ground below him are the so-called Eight Butchers who stand ready to attack Begtse’s enemies on his orders. The figure in the upper left corner is Padmasambhava, the grand patriarch of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhism. The figure in the upper right corner is Secret Accomplishment Hayagriva. In the Gelug tradition, Begtse is one of the main protector deities invoked in Hayagriva Tantra meditation practice.