Palden Lhamo (Shri Devi)
The most important female Dharma protector in Tibetan Buddhism, and the guardian deity of the city of Lhasa.
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Who she is
Palden Lhamo's Sanskrit name is Śrī Devī; Palden Lhamo is her Tibetan name. She is the highest-ranking female protector in Tibetan Buddhism, and also the guardian deity of the Gelug school and of the city of Lhasa. She is enshrined in the Jokhang.
Every year, the fifteenth day of the tenth Tibetan month is the "Palden Lhamo Festival." Women in Lhasa go out in their finest clothes and, by custom, may ask men for a gift of festival money. Children also get pocket money from the adults. It is one of the liveliest days of the year.
What she does
She guards the Dharma and practitioners, and she also guards the land of a region. In Lhoka (Shannan) there is a famous sacred lake called Lhamo Latso, which means "the goddess's soul lake." Traditionally, people go there to gaze into the lake and ask for her guidance.
What people pray to her for
Traditionally, people pray to Palden Lhamo for:
- Protection for the home and peace in the area
- Clearing away obstacles to practice
- Guidance for important decisions
Mantra
Traditionally, a protector's mantra and practice must be received from a qualified teacher. They are not given here.
Story: The Eye on the Mule
The story goes that Palden Lhamo was originally the queen of a demon king. The people of that country took pleasure in killing and were enemies of the Dharma. She had made a vow: she would get her husband and the people of the country to give up killing; if she could not, she would cut off the royal line, so that the killing would not continue.
She pleaded for many years, to no effect. In the end she resolutely carried out her vow, mounted a mule, and rode away. The demon king came out after her and shot an arrow into the mule's rump. She reached down, pulled out the arrow, and made the wish that the wound would become an eye, large enough to watch over all directions.
That is why, in paintings of Palden Lhamo, an eye is always painted on the mule's rump. It is a fierce story. In Tibet it is used to explain that a protector's wrath is there to put an end to greater harm.
How to recognize her
- Blue-black body, one face, two arms, three eyes, wrathful form
- Sits sideways on a mule, riding across a sea of blood
- Right hand raises a short staff; left hand holds a skull cup at the chest
- There is an eye on the mule's rump
- A parasol of peacock feathers often appears above her head
The images
- Date: late 17th century (early Qing dynasty)
- Origin and medium: Tibet · thangka, colors and gold on cloth; Palden Lhamo with retinue
- Collection: Walters Art Museum, accession no. 35.327 · CC0
- Date: Date not given
- Origin and medium: Tibet · distemper on cloth; Palden Lhamo riding a mule
- Collection: Wellcome Collection, London, accession no. 47080i · Public Domain Mark
- Date: 19th century (Qing dynasty)
- Origin and medium: Tibet · mineral pigments and gold on cotton; Palden Lhamo
- Collection: Yale University Art Gallery, accession no. 1988.76.10 · Marked by the museum as no copyright (CC0)