TsongKapa (Tibetan) / Zonkhow (Mongolian)
Mongolian
6.5 x 6.5 cm
Painted on Cloth
Mid-19th To Early 20th Century

TsongKapa’s clothing is symbolic of his monastic status and contrasts with the less confining clothing of buddhas and bodhisattvas. His hands are in the “turning the wheel of dharma” mudra indicating his dedication to teaching Buddhist theory and practice. His yellow hat is symbolic of the Gelug branch of Vajrayana buddhism, which is sometimes called the “yellow hat sect.”