Toling Monastery White Hall: Vaisravana

CHINA, Tibet, Ngari; Guge Kingdom

In Tibetan Buddhism, Vaisravana, Heavenly King of the North, is the deity of both war and wealth.
This mural on the left side of the south wall in the White Hall depicts Vaisravana as a wide-eyed figure wearing a crown and beautifully patterned armor. Sitting on the back of a snarling snow lion, he holds a victory banner in his right hand and carries the jewel-spitting mongoose, a symbol of wealth, in the left. A scarf is wrapped around his neck and appears to flutter in the breeze. The shoulder plates of his suit of armor are decorated with white beast’s heads. A decorative arch surrounds Vaisravana. Outside the arch, there are images of mounted warriors and colorful deities.