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- monly depicted are buddhas of the past (Dipankara), present (Sakyamuni) and future (Maitreya) as well as Amitayus (Buddha of Boundless Light) and Bhaisajya- guru (Buddha of Healing) and the Five Transcendent Lords (or Dhyani-Buddhas): Vairocana, Aksobhya, Rathnasambhava, Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi.
The bodhisattvas, usually recognizable by their elaborate ornaments, are beings which have relinquished their own enlightenment in order to work for the salvation of all beings. Examples of them include: the most popular bodhisattva, Avaloki- tesvara, Manjusri (bodhisattva of Wisdom), and the White and Green Taras.
Gurus or great teachers are unusually popular iconographical subjects in Tibetan art as there appears to be a greater emphasis on them than in the art of any other Buddhist nation. Tibetans have always had a special veneration for their teachers, for they are believed to have the power to transmit enlightenment. Best known of thegurusisthelndian mystic, PadmasambhavaorGuru Rinpoche. Lamas (superior beings), particularly those representing the Yellow Hat sect, are often recurrent subjects in Tibetan painting and statuary. Foremost among the Lama portraitures are Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Yellow Hat sect, and the Fifth Dalai Lama. Arhats or disciples of the Buddha also occupy an important place in Tibetan portraiture.
Yogis and mystics known as mahasiddhas (maha signifies greatness and siddha means a person who has gained perfection or supreme comprehension of reality) are frequently portrayed in Tibetan art. According to Tibetan traditions, there are a total of eighty-four or -five mahasiddhas, all of whom were Indians, with all butthree being male. Many appear to have been historical personages and they came from all walks of life�both highand low. Judging by the large number of representations of Mahasiddha Heruka, this figure was apparently one of the most popular.
Moreover, individuals, families and monasteries have depictions of their own personal deity or guardian angels called yidams (mystical deities of meditation), which overlap with deities of the other groupings. There are various types of yidams � wrathful, peaceful or semi-wrathful, and they can have both male and female forms. When represented in union of the male and female aspects, known as yab-yum (meaning father and mother), the yidam is considered to be more effica�cious. Commonly depicted yidams are of wrathful females called dakinis, who are tricky and playful.
The most ferocious imagery in Tibetan artarethe guardians of thefaith, known as Dharmapalas, which show the Tibetan Buddhists� love of the bizarre and super�natural. The duty of these terrifying beings is to safeguard the Buddhist religion and hence they are often depicted trampling on, or wearing garlands of freshly severed heads of, the enemies of the faith. No other religious art has produced so many awesome and menacing multi-limbed and multi-headed images. Mahakala (the Great Black One) is the leader and best known of the gruesome-looking but in essence benevolent protectors. Other compelling and macabre protector images include Yama (the Lord of Death, the protector of the Yellow Hat sect) and Yamantaka (the wrathful form of the bodhisattva Manjusri assumed to subjugate Yama). Yamantaka is often shown in a sexual embrace (yab-yum) with his female partner, Prajna [14].
There are also many works of art dealing with one of the oldest subjects in Tibetan art�the �Wheel of Life,� which consists of a divided wheel held by a wrathful figure [29]. Often found at the entrance to a temple, it represents the
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