{"id":5311,"date":"2026-04-27T10:36:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/palden-lhamo\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:32:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:32:55","slug":"palden-lhamo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/palden-lhamo\/","title":{"rendered":"Palden Lhamo"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5311\" class=\"elementor elementor-5311 elementor-2019 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Palden Lhamo, goddess of the Tibetan tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Palden Lhamo (the Glorious Goddess) is the most important female protective <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> of Tibetan Buddhism. She is depicted as wild, wrathful and undaunted in the defence of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Indian religions, the teaching and the right order of action.\" tabindex=\"0\">Dharma<\/span> against external and internal obstacles. Her veneration extends across all four major schools.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"God \/ Goddess: Personified supreme power within the pantheon of a culture, with clear areas of responsibility: forces of nature, fate, war, fertility. Venerated through cults, sacrifices and temple institutions.\">Goddess<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/tibet\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Tibetan Buddhist and Bon tradition, yidam, dharmapala, naga world.\">Tibet<\/a><span class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Class of protective deities of Tibetan Buddhism.\">Dharmapala<\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_tibet_palden-lhamo-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5312\" alt=\"Palden Lhamo - gods from the Tibetan tradition, historical and illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_tibet_palden-lhamo-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_tibet_palden-lhamo-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_tibet_palden-lhamo-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_tibet_palden-lhamo.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Palden Lhamo<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Palden Lhamo rides on a mule across a sea of blood and is depicted with blue skin, several arms and a wrathful face.<\/p><p>She wears the head of a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effects are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demon<\/span> as a crown and wields a double axe. Her <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Relating to a religious vow; a votive offering is consecrated to a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">votive<\/span> practices protect monasteries, teachers and practitioners. She is the personal protective goddess of the Dalai Lama.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">At a glance: Palden Lhamo<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Tibetan Buddhist wrathful protective goddess, the only female main <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In Tibetan Buddhism, a meditation deity with which a practitioner works through identification in order to embody aspects of enlightenment.\" tabindex=\"0\">yidam<\/span> of the Gelug <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span><br><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">Pantheon<\/span>: Tibetan Buddhism (all schools, especially Gelug)<br>Function: Protection of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Indian religions, the teaching and the right order of action.\" tabindex=\"0\">Dharma<\/span>, protectress of the Dalai Lamas and of the Tibetan government, destruction of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demons<\/span><br>Main attributes: Black-blue skin colour, third eye, skull crown, rides on a mule across a lake of blood<br>Main <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> sites: Lhasa (Lhamo Latso lake), Lhamo Lhakhang in the Potala Palace<br>Tibetan identity: <em>Palden Lhamo<\/em>, Sanskrit: &Sacute;rid&aelig;v&icirc;<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Historical context<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the texts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Palden Lhamo (Tib. <em>Palden Lhamo<\/em>, &#8220;glorious goddess&#8221;) is one of the most important female protective deities of Tibetan Buddhism. Roots in the Hindu <em>K&acirc;l&icirc;<\/em> and <em>Durga<\/em> tradition. Central in Tibet since the 8th century AD. Main flowering of the Palden Lhamo tradition: 14th\/15th century with Tsongkhapa and the Gelug tradition.<\/p><p>She is the principal protective deity of the Dalai Lamas and of the traditional Tibetan government. Before the selection of each new Dalai Lama, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the divine and thereby withdrawn from everyday use.\" tabindex=\"0\">sacred<\/span> <em>Lhamo Latso<\/em> lake (lake of visions) is consulted, which is <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Handed over to the sacred through a religious act and thereby raised out of the everyday.\" tabindex=\"0\">consecrated<\/span> to her.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of distribution<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Main cult sites: <strong>Lhamo Latso lake<\/strong> (southeast of Lhasa, the sacred lake of visions, in which visions appear for the finding of the Dalai Lama), <strong>Lhamo Lhakhang<\/strong> in the Potala Palace in Lhasa (her own <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> room), <strong>Drepung, Sera and Ganden<\/strong> monasteries (with the Palden Lhamo <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Spiritual practice of exercise in Hinduism and Buddhism with mantra, visualization and rite.\" tabindex=\"0\">sadhana<\/span> tradition).<\/p><p>Present in many Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Bhutan and Nepal. Internationally present in every Tibetan Buddhist centre that has a practice of protective goddesses.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Source situation<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Central sources: Tibetan Tantric <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Spiritual practice in Hinduism and Buddhism; comprises mantra, visualisation and rite, often with an associated yidam.\">sadhana<\/span> texts on Palden Lhamo (various versions according to monastic tradition), the folk narratives surrounding the Lhamo Latso lake, Tsongkhapa&#8217;s writings on the tradition of protective deities.<\/p><p>Secondary literature: Linrothe, <em>Ruthless Compassion<\/em>; Beer, <em>The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs<\/em> (with detailed Palden Lhamo <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span>); Lopez, <em>Religions of Tibet in Practice<\/em>; Cabez&oacute;n, <em>Tibetan <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A regulated sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ritual<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Designation and spellings<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Palden Lhamo is depicted with particular iconographic elements that are symbolically encoded and carry deep meaning. These elements convey above all the functions, sources of power, areas of responsibility and cosmic role of this entity.<\/p><p>The visual system allows initiates and the culturally educated to grasp the deeper meaning. Colours, sacred objects or weapons, bodily attributes, specific accessories, everything is significant and traditionally handed down. The system remains stable and recognisable across generations, which points to fundamental archetypal structures.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Palden Lhamo was central to religious practice and to the everyday understanding of Tibet. People turned to this entity in critical situations or at particular ritual seasons, with structured rituals, prayers or <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>. The practice was precisely transmitted and often led by priests or specialists.<\/p><p>The continuity of these practices over many generations shows that they were regarded as effective and necessary. Functions were varied: preventive (warding off misfortune), healing (alleviation of suffering), transformative (accompaniment through transitions) and protective (continuous guarding).<\/p><p><strong>Appearance and symbolism<\/strong><\/p><p><em>Palden Lhamo<\/em> is depicted as a black or dark-blue-black goddess with wild hair, often with three eyes. She wears a crown of skulls and holds a skull bowl and a curved blade. She rides on a white donkey or stands on corpses. Flames surround her form. This <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial contents and their meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> symbolises her wrathful power against obstacles.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Palden Lhamo<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Palden Lhamo at a glance. The following fields summarise origin, function, appearance, veneration, symbols and cultural parallels.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Palden Lhamo's origin<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Palden Lhamo develops out of the Tantric K&acirc;l&icirc; tradition (Hindu root). In the Tibetan <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A handed-down narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span>: she was originally an Indian princess who married an anti-<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Indian religions, the teaching and the right order of action.\" tabindex=\"0\">Dharma<\/span> king; as a Buddhist she sacrificed her son and ate his flesh in order to break the demonic path of her husband.<\/p><p>From this pain grew her wrathful form as protective goddess. Since that time she rides on a mule through a lake of human blood. In the Tibetan consolidation she is understood together with Mahakala as a complementary protective pair (male and female).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Palden Lhamo's audience<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Chief protective goddess of the Tibetan tradition. Protectress of the Dalai Lamas and of the Tibetan government. Destroyer of the demonic obstacles to the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"In the Indian religions, the teaching and the right order of action.\" tabindex=\"0\">Dharma<\/span>.<\/p><p>In the Lhamo Latso lake, visions appear that are consulted in the finding of the next Dalai Lama, a central practice of Tibetan political <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span>. In the personal <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span>, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The pleading or invocatory addressing of a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> in acute emergencies, especially against severe demonic affliction. Patroness of the female wrathful yidams.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Appearance<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Black-blue (or dark-blue) female figure with a third eye, a gaping mouth with fangs. Skull crown (5 skulls), wild red hair, flaming aureole. Rides sideways on a <em>white mule<\/em>, whose saddle consists of the human skin of her sacrificed son.<\/p><p>Rides through a <em>lake of human blood<\/em>. In her hands: skull cup (kapala), thunderbolt (vajra), club with skull. Snake necklace, bone ornaments, tiger-skin apron. Accompanied by two beings: <em>Mak&acirc;ravakt&acirc;<\/em> (crocodile-headed daughter) and <em>Si&#7747;havakt&acirc;<\/em> (lion-headed daughter).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of effect<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Area of effect:<\/strong> Palden Lhamo is venerated daily in every Gelug monastery. In the personal protective <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> she is <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invoked<\/span> in cases of acute demonic threat.<\/p><p>The <em>Lhamo Latso lake tradition<\/em> is unique: before each finding of a Dalai Lama, high lamas travel to the lake and meditate for days on the shore, in expectation of visionary inspirations about the next incarnations.<\/p><p>The current <em>Sixth lama finding<\/em> (1933) had here a famous vision of the letters Ah, Ka and Ma in a mirror.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Forms of defence<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Black-blue skin colour, third eye, skull crown, white mule (mount), saddle of human skin, lake of blood, skull cup (kapala), thunderbolt (vajra), club with skull. Accompanying beings: crocodile-headed daughter, lion-headed daughter. Sacred plants: none specific. Sacred colours: black, dark blue, red.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Counterparts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>K&acirc;l&icirc;<\/em> (Hinduism, direct root), <em>Durga<\/em> (Hinduism, related warrior goddess), <em>Mahakala<\/em> (Buddhism, male complementary pair), <em>Ekajati<\/em> (<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"'Diamond Vehicle'; Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism, primarily in Tibet, with yidam practice and mantra technique at its centre.\">Vajrayana<\/span>, related wrathful protective goddess), <em>Pehar<\/em> (Vajrayana, related protective god), <em>Sekhmet<\/em> (Egypt, blood-drunk goddess parallel), <em>Erinyes<\/em> (Greece, vengeance-<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> goddesses), <em>Hekate<\/em> (Greece), <em>Maman Brigitte<\/em> (Vodou). Palden Lhamo is the unique chief protective goddess of Tibetan Buddhism.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Palden Lhamo, parallels in other cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Female protective deities in wrathful form, often with an animal mount and weapons, are found from Hinduism (Kali, Durga) to the Japanese Kishimojin; in the Tibetan context Palden Lhamo stands specifically for the order of the state and of the monasteries.<\/p><p><strong>Jewish tradition<\/strong><\/p><p>The Shekhinah as female divine presence and Lilith as wild female power share with Palden Lhamo the dimension of the female sacred, though without the wrathful protective function.<\/p><p><strong>Greco-Roman world<\/strong><\/p><p>Athena as a warlike protective goddess and Hera as a queen with authority approach Palden Lhamo&#8217;s role, though without the wrathful Tantric dimension and without demon-feast symbolism.<\/p><p><strong>Germanic tradition<\/strong><\/p><p>The Valkyries and Freyja as goddesses of war embody female fighting power, while the Norns embody fate and protection, a synthesis similar to this Palden Lhamo.<\/p><p><strong>Hinduism<\/strong><\/p><p>Durga and Kali as wrathful mother goddesses share with Palden Lhamo the synthesis of femininity, wrathfulness and protective function; both are central in Tantric Hinduism.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp0c76f82 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp0c76f82\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp22e9045 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp22e9045\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The protective deity of Lhasa and of the Dalai Lama<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpe06abf3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpe06abf3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp7e74b87 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp7e74b87\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Palden Lhamo (Tibetan <em>dPal ldan lha mo<\/em>, Sanskrit <em>Shri Devi<\/em>) occupies a prominent position in Tibetan Buddhism that goes beyond that of a single protective deity.<\/p><p>She is regarded as the most important female <em>dharmapala<\/em> (protectress of the religion) and as the personal protective deity of the Dalai Lamas as well as of the Gelug school.<\/p><p>Her particular connection to the Tibetan capital is closely bound up with the Lhamo Lhatso, a sacred lake southeast of Lhasa. On its water surface, according to <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The transmission of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>, visions can be discerned that give indications in the search for the rebirths of high lamas.<\/p><p>The Second Dalai Lama Gendun Gyatso (1476 to 1542) founded a monastery on the shore and consolidated the connection between the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span>, the lake and the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A site or institution at which a divine pronouncement is sought.\" tabindex=\"0\">oracle<\/span> system.<\/p><p>In Lhasa itself Palden Lhamo was represented with her own chapels in the Jokhang <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A building that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">Temple<\/span> and in the Potala Palace. Her statue was carried annually through the city in a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A solemn religious procession.\" tabindex=\"0\">procession<\/span>.<\/p><p>This public veneration joined the state cult with the protection of the political order, for Palden Lhamo was regarded as the guarantor of the government of the Dalai Lama.<\/p><p>From the standpoint of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religious studies<\/span> she is thus an example of how an originally Indian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> was reshaped in Tibet into the bearer of a state-supporting function.<\/p><p>The identification with the Indian <em>Shri Devi<\/em> points to a long prehistory. In India this figure was connected with the sphere of the wrathful protective deities before she received her Tibetan form in the Tantric systems.<\/p><p>The close bond with the Gelug school arose only in the course of the 15th and 16th centuries, when this school gained political influence. Anyone who wishes to understand the role of Palden Lhamo must therefore consider her within the interplay of monastic politics, oracle tradition and state cult, not as an isolated mythical figure.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp5aa2f00 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp5aa2f00\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpeb8c4c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpeb8c4c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Iconography: the mule, the saddle equipment and the symbols of wrath<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc2caa13 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpc2caa13\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp71d7154 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp71d7154\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The pictorial representation of Palden Lhamo follows a fixed <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The collection of the sacred scriptures of a religion recognised as binding.\" tabindex=\"0\">canon<\/span>, whose individual elements are each mythologically grounded. She rides on a mule through a sea of blood, depicted with dark-blue skin, three eyes and a wrathful face with bared canine teeth.<\/p><p>In her right hand she holds a cudgel or a club, in her left a skull bowl. Her hair blazes upward, often crowned by five skulls.<\/p><p>Particular attention is given to the mule. On its hindquarters appears an eye that, according to the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span>, came about through an arrow that the enraged god of the realm of Lanka shot at the fleeing goddess. Instead of killing her, the arrow struck the mount and transformed itself into a watching eye.<\/p><p>The saddle is covered with the flayed skin of a demon, the reins consist of snakes. From the saddlebag hang a coil of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of events through special actions or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">magical<\/span> threads and a die for <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The interpretation of signs in order to recognise the hidden or the future.\" tabindex=\"0\">divination<\/span>. These objects point to her function as a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> who disposes over fate and the thread of life.<\/p><p>The material culture knows numerous bronze figures and above all <em>thangka<\/em> paintings of Palden Lhamo, which were widespread from the 17th century onward in the monasteries of the Gelug school. In the secret chapels of the protective deities, the <em>gonkhang<\/em>, her images often stood veiled and were accessible only to initiated monks.<\/p><p>Western collections such as the Museum of Asian Art in Berlin or the Rubin Museum in New York preserve significant examples.<\/p><p>The pictorial tradition has remained remarkably stable over the centuries, which reflects the liturgical fixing of the descriptive texts (<em>sadhana<\/em>) according to which the painters worked. A comparably dense wrathful <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial contents and their meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> is found with <a href=\"\/en\/yamantaka\/\">Yamantaka<\/a> and <a href=\"\/en\/ekajati\/\">Ekajati<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpcd443b7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpcd443b7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpeaea5b4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpeaea5b4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The myth of the son and the self-binding vow to protect the teaching<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp45f8186 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp45f8186\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp67c9f77 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp67c9f77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>One of the best-known narratives about Palden Lhamo explains how she became a protectress of the religion. In her prehistory she was married to the king of the man-eating realm of Lanka, a place where the Buddhist teaching was suppressed.<\/p><p>She vowed either to convert her husband to Buddhism or, should this fail, to wipe out the royal line. When the conversion failed, she killed her own son, the designated heir to the throne, flayed his skin and used it as a saddle blanket. She then fled to the north.<\/p><p>During the flight the king shot a poisoned arrow after her, which struck the mule and transformed itself into the well-known eye on its hindquarters. Palden Lhamo is then said to have drawn the poison out of the wound and turned its effect into a source of healing power.<\/p><p>This drastic narrative is multilayered from the standpoint of religious studies: the killing of the child does not stand for cruelty as an end in itself, but for the radical readiness to subordinate everything to the protection of the teaching. The flayed skin thus becomes a sign of a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express thanks, request, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">sacrifice<\/span> rendered, not of a triumph.<\/p><p>In the Tantric interpretation Palden Lhamo belongs to those deities who originally belonged to the sphere of the dangerous, worldly beings and who were bound by an enlightened master and placed in the service of the teaching. Tradition ascribes this binding to <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Legendary Indian tantric master (8th c.); transmitted Buddhism to Tibet.\" tabindex=\"0\">Padmasambhava<\/span> or to other early teachers.<\/p><p>She thus stands between the purely enlightened protective deities and the worldly <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span>. The narrative of the son serves within this system as the reason why a figure of fearsome origin can nevertheless be a reliable protectress: her <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A solemn religious promise made to a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">vow<\/span> binds her irrevocably.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp100f7a7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp100f7a7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpe6597e6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpe6597e6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Rituals, oracles and the annual festival<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp10f3fe3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp10f3fe3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8cae43f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp8cae43f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The liturgical veneration of Palden Lhamo was firmly regulated in the Gelug monasteries. Monks recited her <em>sadhana<\/em> texts and invocations in the <em>gonkhang<\/em>, often within monthly and annual cycles.<\/p><p>The most important public celebration fell on the 15th day of the first Tibetan month. In Lhasa her image was moved on this occasion in a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A solemn religious procession.\" tabindex=\"0\">procession<\/span>, and the population sought her protection for the coming year.<\/p><p>Closely connected with her is the oracle system. The State Oracle of Nechung was indeed primarily assigned to the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> Pehar, yet Palden Lhamo was regarded as the superordinate female protectress whose will was read in the lake visions at the Lhamo Lhatso.<\/p><p>In the search for the rebirth of a Dalai Lama these visions played a recognised role; this is reported, among other instances, for the finding of the 14th Dalai Lama in the 1930s, when the regent and the search commission visited the lake.<\/p><p>In ritual daily life Palden Lhamo was also appeased through offerings that corresponded to her wrathful character: these included <em>torma<\/em> figures made of dough, dark tea, alcohol and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbolic<\/span> representations of flesh and blood.<\/p><p>These gifts are not to be understood as a veneration of violence, but follow the Tantric logic that a wrathful <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> is addressed with substances of her own sphere in order to direct her power toward the protection of the practitioners.<\/p><p>A particular bond moreover existed with the winter months, in which protective rituals were intensified. Scholarship, for instance the works of Rene de Nebesky-Wojkowitz in his fundamental book <em><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A place or institution where a divine pronouncement is sought.\" tabindex=\"0\">Oracles<\/span> and Demons of Tibet<\/em> (1956), has documented this ritual system in detail and remains a central source.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp074aa46 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp074aa46\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpd6bc340 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpd6bc340\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reception and history of research in the West<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpd4e6e5c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpd4e6e5c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9cdc311 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp9cdc311\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Palden Lhamo came comparatively early into the field of view of European Tibetan studies. Travellers and missionaries of the 19th century often described the wrathful protective deities with unease and interpreted them as evidence of a supposedly gloomy character of Tibetan Buddhism.<\/p><p>This judgemental view is now outdated. The scholarly examination began with the great collections of material of the early 20th century.<\/p><p>The decisive contribution comes from Rene de Nebesky-Wojkowitz, whose book <em>Oracles and Demons of Tibet<\/em>, published in 1956, systematically ordered for the first time the texts, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial contents and their meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> and rituals of the Tibetan protective deities.<\/p><p>Later works, for instance by Amy Heller on the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial contents and their meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span> or more recent studies on the history of the Gelug school, have supplemented the picture and traced the historical development of Palden Lhamo from the Indian <em>Shri Devi<\/em> to the Tibetan state deity.<\/p><p>In more recent reception Palden Lhamo has become known to a broader public through exhibitions of Tibetan art. Her <em>thangka<\/em> depictions are among the most impressive examples of wrathful pictorial art and are treated in detail in collection catalogues.<\/p><p>In popular perception she is occasionally compared with concepts from other traditions, for instance with dark mother goddesses, which however misses her specifically Buddhist function.<\/p><p>From the standpoint of religious studies she remains interesting above all as a case study: she shows how a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> could over the centuries be at once liturgically fixed and politically functionalised.<\/p><p>Open questions concern above all the precise dating of her binding to the Gelug school and the relationship between the various regional forms of her cult, which have so far been only partly explored.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further links<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"\/en\/mahakala\/\">Mahakala, male complementary pair<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/kali\/\">K&acirc;l&icirc; Hindu root<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/durga\/\">Durga, related warrior goddess<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/ekajati\/\">Ekajati, related Tibetan protective goddess<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/pehar\/\">Pehar, related protective god<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/buddhism\/\">Buddhism, pantheon overview<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/high-deities\/\">High deities, subcategory<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Literature (selection)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Beer, Robert: <em>The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs<\/em>. Boston 1999.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Cabez&oacute;n, Jos&eacute; Ignacio (ed.): <em>Tibetan <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A regulated sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ritual<\/span><\/em>. Oxford 2010.<\/span><\/li><li>Walde, Christine (ed.): <em>Der Neue Pauly<\/em> (entry &#8220;Palden Lhamo&#8221;).<\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\n<p class=\"iwg-bib-more\"><span data-nosnippet>Further standard works in the <a href=\"\/en\/literature\/\">literature index<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ccefe0 e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1ccefe0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-35d4573 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"35d4573\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Frequently asked questions about Palden Lhamo<\/h2><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>Who is Palden Lhamo in Tibetan Buddhism?<\/h3><p>Palden Lhamo (Tibetan, glorious goddess, Sanskrit Shri Devi) is the most important female protective deity of Tibetan Buddhism and the only female figure among the great dharmapalas.<\/p><p>She is depicted in fearsome form: dark blue, riding on a mule that moves through a sea of blood, with a saddle made from the flayed skin of her own son. This drastic imagery is to be understood symbolically and stands for the uncompromising power with which obstacles on the path to enlightenment are destroyed.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"iwg-faq-q\"><h3>What significance does Palden Lhamo have for Lhasa and the Dalai Lama?<\/h3><p>Palden Lhamo is regarded as the special protectress of the city of Lhasa and of the Dalai Lama as well as of the entire Gelug school.<\/p><p>The lake Lhamo Latso, about 150 kilometres southeast of Lhasa, is regarded as her dwelling place and as an oracle lake: in its water surface visions are said to appear that are drawn upon, among other purposes, in the search for the rebirth of a deceased Dalai Lama.<\/p><p>Thus the lake played a role in the finding of the 14th Dalai Lama in the year 1935.<\/p><\/div><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who is Palden Lhamo in Tibetan Buddhism?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Palden Lhamo (Tibetan, glorious goddess, Sanskrit Shri Devi) is the most important female protective deity of Tibetan Buddhism and the only female figure among the great dharmapalas. 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