Sacred Earthly Realms and Paradises

In this painting Tibet is depicted as a terrestrial paradise, much like the hidden land of Shambhala, a heavenly realm believed to be concealed on our world and the basis of the Western construct of the fabled lost land of Shangri-la. Tibet's sacred geography is mapped out, with Mount Wutai and its distinctive five multicolored peaks to the east (bottom left) and Mount Kailash's snowy peaks towering over nomadic scenes of the Tibetan northern plains to the west (top right).

The central imagery in this painting accords with a prophecy in which a divinely anointed ruler, known as a chakravartin and identified by a golden wheel, transforms the world into an ideal realm. Here the king sits in a palace surrounded by representatives of various races and nations who have come to make offerings at his feet. Complementing this terrestrial paradise, the top of the painting includes depictions of three bodhisattvas floating above in their own heavenly pure lands.

At the top left of the painting is a group of four animals--an elephant, monkey, hare, and partridge--known as the Four Harmonious Friends. They are characters from a parable that teaches the importance of unity, harmony, and collaboration.