This mandala is dedicated to Yamantaka, (rDo-rje
ëjigs-íbyed), the destructor of Yama, god of death. The god is
illustrated in the center of the psycho-cosmographic
diagram, under its traditional iconography with 34 arms,
16 legs and nine faces, whose principal taurine would be
an assimilation of that of Yama, and that of the top is
that of Manjusri, the bodhisattva of the wisdom of which
it is a terrific emanation.
Around its representation, develops all the construction
of the traditional mandala according to an architectural
diagram opened to the four orients, decorated with festoons,
kapala, and multiple auspicious symbols. It rests
on a lotus-like base which appeared in plan and seems
circle it,  even encircled by a traditional
barrier of multicoloured flames and beautiful and very
alive representation of the eight traditional tantric cemeteries.
 
 

As often in tibetan art, the interest of this work largely
exceeds the esoteric framework to join history.
The diagram is leaned with a landscape. In the higher
part, like floating in the skies, are 2 figures identifiable by
the inscriptions: on the left; Jnanadakini, female
counterpart of Vajrabhairava, and on the right, the
mahasiddha Lalitavajra which would be at the source of the
tantric transmission of the cycle of Yamantaka.
In the lower part, three yellow capped monks, clearly
indicating a membership to the dGe-lugs-Pa school.
the importance of the cycle of Yamantaka in this school is
primarily related to the fact that its founder
rTsong-kha-Pa was regarded as a terrestrial emanation of
Manjusri.
The monk of left is identifiable by the inscription as
the famous Rva lo-tsa-Ba rDo-rje-grags whose
translations of Indian texts in tibetan allowed the
diffusion of the cycle of Yamantaka in Tibet. The monk of
right-hand side is more difficult to identify with
precision, but he is probably one of the spiritual
masters of the one sitted on a throne of cushions
at the center of the landscape, and is far to be an an
unknown man.

bLo-bsang chos-kyi rGyal-mtshan (1570-1662) was a
significant figure of the dGe-lugs-Pa school and of is time tibetan religious
and political life. Abbot of the famous
monastery of bKra-shis lhun-Po, he was the Master of the
fourth Dalaï-Lama, and especially the tutor of the fifth. It is
precisely this fifth Dalaï-Lama which was to confer the title of
first Panchen-Lama to him, as emanation of the bodhisattva Amitabha,
thus creating a new line of reincarnations.
Its central position on a throne of cushions and not on a
lotus-like base, and some more details, allow
us to think with near a certainty this painting was
painted during his lifetime, that is to say before 1662.
The particular style of painting with inclusions of
landscapes, (note the beautiful processing of the
snow-covered mountains), is characteristic of the
developments which tibetan art will know under the
reign of the 5th Dalaï-Lama, while including more chinese stylistics elements. The possibility of
dating this painting in a short lapse of time from 1640 to 1662 make this thang-ka a significant link for
the study and dating of  paintings from this period.