Lobzang Palden Yeshe, the 3rd Panchen Lama (1738-1780).

Lobzang Palden Yeshe was the 3rd Panchen Lama and the brother of the 10th Shamarpa. The Panchen Lama received teachings from the 7th Dalai Lama and recognized the 8th Dalai Lama. As the teacher of the Manchu emperor Qianlong, the Panchen Lama spent time in China and passed away in Beijing in the year 1780.

At the top center is the Buddha Amitabha with the fierce meditational deity Vajrabhairava at the left. At the bottom center is the enlightened protector Shri Devi Magzor Gyalmo with the worldly protectors Dorje Setrap on the left and Shangpa on the right.

This composition belongs to a set of paintings created from wood block prints. The paintings depict the incarnation lineage of the Panchen Lamas and are famous throughout the Himalayas. They have also been reproduced as textiles in exact detail created in the Chinese city of Hangzhou in the early 1920s.

Jeff Watt 5-2001. Update 10-2005.