Three Mahasiddhas: Thogme, Nartapa and Lingbupa

Scenes from the lives of wonderworkers (the so-called “mahasiddhas”), who brought Buddhism to Tibet, are a principal theme in Buddhist painting. They are usually portrayed in a series of eighty-four figures, of which the NG owns four thangkas. Thogme was an ascetic who dressed in monastic robes, lived in the woods and authored scholarly writings. He experienced a vision of the future Buddha Maitreya, who is portrayed in the upper left corner. Nartapa was likewise an ascetic. He is adorned with jewels and clad in a skirt. He is portrayed with a doe, holding a reed pen. Lingbupa plays on the trumpet while his seat is kept afloat by water creatures known as “nagi”. He is cooled with a fan made of peacock feathers.