This tsa tsa depicts Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava [Tib.: »པད་མ་འབྱུང་གནས« – »bla.ma.pad.ma.'byun.gnas«]. At his side are his two female consorts, Yeshe Tsogyal and Mandarava. Both are holding a vase [»Bumpa«] containing the »elixir of immortally« in their hands. While both are frequently depicted on thangkas, they are extremely rare on tsa tsas.
An important historical figure of the 8th century. He is still revered in Tibetan Buddhism today because he is considered the one who permanently established Buddhism in Tibet and »tamed« the spiritual forces of the land. The link at the bottom of this page leads to detailed information about his life.
Tsa Tsa
Padmasambhava sits on a single-tiered lotus throne. A ceremonial staff, known as a »Kathvanga«, rests diagonally from his left elbow into his crook. This staff is often seen as a symbol of mastery over Tantric Buddhism, or »Vajrayana«, which Padmasambhava used to exorcise demons and defeat Buddhism’s adversaries. In his left hand, he holds a skull cup, »kapala«, while his right hand holds the symbol associated with him in Tibetan iconography a »dorje« [Sanskrit: »vajra«].
Tsa-tsas were traditionally pressed into clay or loam molds and then often carefully smoothed or decorated only on the front before being fired or simply dried. The condition of the back is practically irrelevant, since the image on the tsa tsa was placed so that it is only visible »from the front«. Nevertheless, the unpolished, rough back of this specimen is very unusual.
Condition: Old votive tablets often show slight signs of wear on the raised areas. On this particular example, this is limited to the areas around the nose and the left hand of Padmasambhava, which is holding a dorje.
| Live of Padmasambhava |
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Measurements: | 3.6 x 3.2 x 1.2" | 9.2 x 8.1 x 3.1 cm |
| Price: | 283 $ | 245 € |
| Shipment: | Parcel Service from Germany |
| Material: | Burned Clay |
| Age: | 16th - 17th cent. |
| High resolution: | Display [0.8 MB, 2193 x 2690 px.] |
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