The Changkya Huthugthu Rölpai Dorje

Figure 18: The Qianlong emperor as an incarnated bodhisattva Manjushri with the folded hat of the Changkya Huthukthu, the book of knowledge, and the wisdom sword, holding the Dharma Wheel cakra of the Universal World Sovereign.
Zitan wood panel, painted with gilt clay on silk ground.
Size 166 x 93 cm.
With figures in niches (depth 3,7 cm) depicting an entire Tibetan Buddhist pantheon. The Tibetan inscription on the green and blue throne cushions refers to the emperor and to the Huthukthu (in the larger round medaillon above the throne architecture): “Wise Manjushri, sovereign of mankind, playful, unexcelled, great King of the Dharma, with your feet firmly on the vajra throne. May you have good fortune that your wishes are spontaneously achieved”. Originally installed in the Cuishanglou shrine, Zhongzhengdian area, Forbidden City, now in the Palace Museum.
After The Emperor's Private Paradise. Treasures from the Forbidden City, ed. by N. Berliner, New Haven 2010, pl. 39.