Lama of the Sakya order of Tibetan Buddhism

At the turn of the eleventh century, Indian teachers began once again to introduce Buddhism into Tibet. One of the most important of these teachers was Dombi Heruka, whom scholars have identified as the historical king Chakravarman of Kashmir. Forsaking his throne for the affections of an outcaste dancer (dombi), Dombi Heruka went to the forest to meditate. Eventually, he would initiate Virupa (see sculpture in this gallery), root teacher of the Sakya Order of Himalayan Buddhism.

The monk depicted here wears the pointed red hat often associated with Sakya lamas. Starting in the thirteenth century, Sakya masters administered Tibet through a system of dual inheritance, where one brother becomes religious head and the other takes secular authority. Their lineage master Phagpa was instrumental in thwarting Mongol designs on Tibet, and instead established himself as Kublai Khan’s religious preceptor.