The protector deity, Tsangpa Karpo, white in colour, with one head and three eyes, is depicted riding a white horse. He weilds a vajra-hilted sword in his right hand and holds a bowl of jewels in his left. A pennated spear is cradled in the crook of his left arm. He wears coloured robes, high boots and armour and is adorned with a jewelled crown and a white turban surmounted with a conch shell. His white horse is caparisoned with an ornate saddle rug and gallops across a moon and lotus disc. Tsangpa Karpo is surrounded by flames; behind him is a palace or monastery, with a flaming jewel on the roof top. Directly below is Bse khrab, a manifestation of Brahmā, riding a light brown horse. Wearing dharmapāla armour, he carries a bow and arrow whilst holding a noose, sword and spear. He is flanked by his wrathful attendants. This is a skilled work in appliquй in which the artist has taken great care in the juxtaposition of colours. The white of the deity and his horse shines out against the backdrop of dark flames, signifying that Brahmā is a force of good against evil. The brocade is edged with silken cord and real pearls have been stitched onto the deity’s crown. Lhachen Tsangpa Karpo was an indigenous Tibetan deity, believed to have been bound to Buddhism by the Emperor Songtsen Gampo, Vajrapāṇi and Padmasambhava. The Fifth Dalai Lama made him the protector of the State Government and he subsequently became popular in Mongolia.
