Dharmapala Thangka CentreTibetan Antiques

»Tsaglis« or »Tsak Lis« are Tibetan miniature paintings on cloth. A set of these small paintings would be commissioned by a lama for use during initiations into the practice of a particular deity.

The Tsagli would be placed in an offering bowl with rice or wheat in it. At the same time, the lama giving the initiation invites the deity into the little painting. The lama then places the offering and the painting on top of the initiation´s head while he recites the ritual for that deity.

Tibetan Buddhists use specialized meditation techniques to visualize themselves as peaceful or wrathful Buddhas. Practitioners learn these techniques through initiations, which may involve Tsaglis painted with images of deities, ornaments or offerings.

Raising up the cards one by one, a teacher reads aloud the instructions or blessing written on the back as the initiate beholds the image on the front. By viewing the cards, practitioners sharpen their abilities to hold a Buddha's image in their mind, building it limb by limb, ornament by ornament.

These Tsaglis cards are are aproximately 100 - 150 years old.

They Tibetan Tsaglis have a size of [5.8 x 4.7 " | 14.4 x 11.7 cm]. The Mongolian tsaglis are smaller [3.6 x 2 " | 9 x 5 cm ]. The material of the Tibetan tsaglis is a thick cardboard. The Mongolian Taglis are painted on strong paper.