pigment and water-soluble binding agent on fabric, 65.5 x 43.5 cm, (Hr) We are grateful to Dipl. Ing. Uwe Niebuhr, BA MA for his assistance in cataloguing this work.

This thangka depicts the Buddhist deity Kālacakra (Tib. dus kyi 'khor lo) with his partner Viśvamatā (Tib. sna tshogs yum). They are the main deities of the Kālacakra tantra, which is also known as the “Wheel of Time”. The meditation practices of the Kālacakra tantra belong to the highest of the four tantra classes of Tibetan Buddhism: Anuttarayoga. Practicing the latter leads to enlightenment during life. This spiritual promise favoured the spreading of tantra, with a few variations, to all major schools of Tibet.

The independent Jonang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, rooted in the Sakya School, was founded by Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292-1361, Tib. dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan) at Jonang Monastery, in the Tsang region, in the 14th century. This tradition subsequently specialised in the teaching and transmission of the Kālacakra tantra. The eminent scholar Tāranātha (1575-1634) continued to develop this teaching until the early 17th century. After his death, the Jonang monks were expelled from central and western Tibet and settled in eastern Tibet, in the Amdo region. The Jonang tradition still survives there in the main monastery of Dzamthang.

In this thangka, Kālacakra [I] displays a blue torso. His four faces differ in colour: they are blue, red, white and yellow, respectively. In keeping with this,  Kālacakra also has eight blue, red and white arms, with hands in the ‘gesture of banishing’ and with different weapons and attributes. With one pair of crossed arms he holds his partner Viśvamatā firmly before himself, whilst also holding a bell and vajra. Kālacakra wears a variety of jewels on his head and gold jewellery on his body, his hips are wrapped in tiger skin. Both Kālacakra and his partner stand in a side lunge. His red leg stands on the red Hindu deity Kāmadeva, his white leg on the white god Rudra. Both deities are depicted with their respective partners.

The yellow, naked Viśvamatā also has four coloured faces and eight yellow arms. Her head is tilted backwards. The couple stands on a lotus with three discs: a blue one (eclipse), a white one (moon) and a red one (sun). Kālacakra and Viśvamatā are surrounded by a green aureole with a pentachromatic flame edge.

The lower third of the thangka features a green landscape with a lake from which the lotus rises. Two thirds of the thangka are covered by a dark blue sky. Above the couple, in a rainbow circle, is the blue Buddha Vajradhara [1]. To his left and right are seven horned birds (Skt. garuḍa) [6a-g]. In the upper corners, the most important teachers of the Jonang tradition are depicted: on the left, Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen [2]; on the right, Tāranātha [3].

The arrangement of the deities in this thangka partly follows the structure of the extremely complex Kālacakra Maṇḍala:  Kālacakra and Viśvamatā are placed in the centre. They are framed by eight female Śaktis [II1-II8]: standing deities, with four faces and eight arms each. In turn, they are surrounded by four symbols in the corners: shell [III1], gong [III2], jewel [III3], wish-fulfilling tree [III4]. This structure is referred to as the "inner house".

The Kālacakra Maṇḍala goes on to describe a multitude of deities and gatekeepers, of which only a few are depicted here [IV1-IV9, 7-9]. From this Maṇḍala constellation the 12 sacrificial goddesses [V1-12] can also be identified at the lower edge of the thangka. A figure in the lower left corner can only be tentatively identified as a Tibetan king, or as the king of Shambala [4], in whose realm the Kālacakra tantra was first transmitted by Buddha Śākyamuni. Śākyamuni himself is visible next to a group of six scholars with different headdresses, all of whom are seated beneath the lotus, their hand in the ‘gesture of teaching’ [10a-g]. To the left is the most important protector of  Kālacakra tantra: Vajravega (Tib. rdo rje shugs) [5]. Wrathful, blue, with four faces, 26 arms and two legs, he shows the same colours and characteristics as the main deity of this thangka: Kālacakra.