Thangka

The Tibetan term "Thangka" (ཐང་ཀ་) translates to "scroll painting," specifically denoting Tibetan Buddhist religious art painted on cloth with mineral pigments. Designed for hanging in shrines or portable devotion, it functions as a "mobile temple."
The core canvas of a Thangka is painted using powdered gemstones and natural minerals—a process requiring hours of grinding alone—ensuring the colors remain vivid for millennia.

A sacred tapestry of Esoteric Buddhism, With minerals as its soul and gold lines as its skeletal framework, It unveils celestial realms through the Measurement Sutra, Proving Bodhi within its compact frame.

  The Legend of Lhasa's Liquor-Scented Wealth Goddess: Zhaxi LhamoA Wrathful Spirit in the Forbidden CityAmid flickering candlelight in the palace depths, she was once Emperor Qianlong’s favored consort. Yet splendor vanished like smoke—a palace conspiracy, a cup of poisoned wine, left her perishing in bitter resentment. Her monumental wrath bound her spirit to the mortal realm. Night after night, her ghostly wails echoed through vermilion walls and gilded roofs, a vengeful phantom haunting the imperial court.
Trembling with rage and terror, the emperor beheld a miracle: a venerable monk from Sera Monastery of Tibet, then pilgrimaging at Wutai Mountain. The emperor beseeched the monk’s aid. Moved by untainted compassion, the monk:
Liberated her tormented soul through supreme Dharma rituals
Exposed the true murderers, ensuring imperial justice
 
 
  Following Through Blizzard-Veiled MilesAmidst the monk’s sutra chanting, the consort’s spirit experienced unprecedented peace and warmth.
Her resentment thawed like winter ice, replaced by profound reverence for the Dharma and a burning
desire to repay her liberator. When the monk prepared to return to distant, snow-cloaked Tibet,
she made a startling vow: "I shall follow you to that Buddha-illuminated land and practice the Dharma!"
The monk cautioned: "The snow realm lies beyond a thousand perilous leagues—its bitter cold would 
shatter a spirit." Yet her resolve hardened; obsession crystallized into resolute vow-power . Thus, a
Chinese specter embarked upon a blizzard-scoured pilgrimage, clinging to his silhouette across mountain passes and river valleys.
 
 
  The Shrine in Lhasa's Northern WildsAfter reaching the holy city at last, rigid monastic vows rose
like an invisible barrier—a female spirit could never enter Sera Monastery's sacred precincts.
Moved by her devotion and resolve, the monk knew she needed a sanctuary to
practice and accumulate merit. Thus, on Lhasa’s northern barren lands, a small
shrine emerged: the original Tsepak Lhakhang (གཙེ་དཔག་ལྷ་ཁང་, "Temple of Four Monks"), named for its founding custodians sent from Sera.
And so she received a new name: Zhaxi Lhamo — Lhamo (ལྷ་མོ་) meaning "Celestial Goddess",
marking her rebirth from vengeful ghost to divine protector.
 
  Terrifying Visage, Tender HeartThe path to becoming a local guardian was fraught with peril. Legends
recount how her unearthly beauty provoked the jealousy of Tibet’s native mountain
goddesses. An invisible battle erupted—one goddess poisoned her
secretly. Though Zhaxi Lhamo forced the venom to her tongue to survive, it remained
eternally extended: crimson and lolling. Another goddess slashed at her feet, but divine
power transformed the severed limbs into razor-sharp iron talons!
Thus, her iconography froze in this fearsome form:
 
Cyanotic face (venom-curdled or wrath-stained)
Dangling scarlet tongue
Fowl-like iron claws for feet
 
Yet behold closer:
She sits crowned in gold filigree, robed in celestial brocade, enthroned beneath a jeweled
canopy. Within this terrifying visuality pulses a heart sworn to protect all beings.
 
 
 From Guardian of Sojourners to Wealth GoddessInitially, she safeguarded Qing garrison troops and Han merchants far from their homeland in Tibet, easing
their nostalgia and ensuring safety—thus revered as "Guardian of Sojourners" .
Miracles soon unfolded: Han merchants who offered sincerely saw their commercial fortunes soar unexpectedly!
"Zhaxi Lhamo responds unerringly—supremely potent!" Word spread
 
  Dawn Steeped in Liquor Fragrance: The Wednesday RitualWhy Baijiu Pervades Tsepak Temple? Legend holds this goddess cherished fine liquor in her mortal life. 
Thus, devotees offer baijiu —not mere alcohol but sacramental catalyst—as their most distinctive oblation. Each morning, especially on 
miracle-prone Wednesdays, serpentine queues coil outside the temple before sunrise.
Pilgrims Bear:
White silk khata scarves (purity)
Fragrant cypress branches (for sang smoke purification)
Bottles of crystal-clear baijiu (essential conduit)
Monks decant the liquor into colossal bronze vessels before the shrine. As 58-proof vapors blend with chanting and prayer 
flags, devotees whisper: "She grows merry with drink, yet forgetful— so petition early while her mind stays lucid!"
 
 
 Compassion Transcending Life and DeathThe saga of Zhaxi Lhamo is a legend woven from injustice and redemption, obsession and transformation, terrifying visage and profound mercy. 
From a vengeful ghost in the Forbidden City to a goddess on the Tibetan Plateau who heeds mortal sufferings and answers every plea, her existence embodies the living Dharma:
"Though once mired in karmic bitterness, a single turn toward light— a single step following wisdom— can forge agony into boundless vow-power that shelters all beings."
That Han spirit who traversed death itself to pursue the Dharma now rests eternally amid Tibetan sutras and sacramental vapors, having found both sanctuary and apotheosis.
 
 