Manuscript of the Delivery from Hell Tantra (Ngan song sbyong rgyud)

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Manuscript of the Delivery from Hell Tantra (Ngan song sbyong rgyud)

Western Tibet, Guge, Tsaparang, circa 1630
Manuscripts
Opaque watercolor and gold paint on paper; cardboard covers
Each folio: 3 3/8 x 12 3/8 in. (8.6 x 31.4 cm)
Christian Humann Asian Art Fund (M.86.292.1-.183)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

...
This Buddhist manuscript of 183 leaves is of a tantric text known as the Delivery from Hell Tantra (Ngan song sbyong rgyud). The eleven illustrations are atypically rendered in the black-field painting style, with line drawings made of gold paint and accented by light washes of color. They depict various Buddhist deities, including Vaishravana, the regent of the north and god of wealth; Tibetan Buddhist lamas; and the last ruler of the western Tibetan kingdom of Guge and members of his family receiving offering libations. The Guge ruler, King Chadakpo, was deposed with the assistance of the Ladakhi army in 1630 by discontented Buddhist monks for his increasing patronage of Christianity. The king and members of his family were then exiled to Ladakh. The colophon reads: The glorious royal emblem of the perfectly fulfilled Buddha Tathagata, who completely delivers all kings in hell. So it is called. (Translation by H. E. Richardson.)
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Bibliography

  • Pal, Pratapaditya. Art of Tibet. Expanded edition. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1990.