Thangka of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo

Sachen Kunga Nyingpo is depicted in a central, large-scale pose, seated in a cross-legged position on a pink lotus pedestal. He wears a patterned black monastic robe topped with a yellow mantle, and his right hand reaches down to touch the earth, while his left hand is held at the chest in a gesture of discourse. He is flanked by two flowering white lotuses rising from the base, and his head is framed by a glowing green circular halo against a red background. The surrounding border consists of dozens of miniature figures of monks and tantric deities, each enclosed in an individual aureole, representing the Sakya lineage and related pantheon.

Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092–1158) was one of the five founding masters of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. This thangka represents the 'lineage tree' or 'refuge tree' style of painting, which serves as both a devotional object and a visual record of the spiritual transmission of the Lamdré (Path and Fruit) teachings.