The thanqa (tanka) is an example of Buddhist painting. Supposedly, it was created in one of the local Buddhist temples.
The drawing on the tanka is made according to the basic canons. The center, which is usually saved for a Buddha or bodhisattva, depicts the White Elder Ak-Mergendey, sitting on a throne in deep meditation.
Mongols and Tuvans considered the White Elder to be a patron of longevity, the continuation of kin and the family welfare, as well as a king of people, wild and domestic animals. It was believed that Ak-Mergendey brought blessing to those who saw him. People asked him for arable lands and for their livestock to be safe. The Elder’s image is reminiscent of one of the incarnations of Buddha, which also grants goodness and longevity to all living beings.
The White Elder’s hands are folded in dhyana mudra, a meditation mudra, and he holds a vessel with the nectar of immortality. Ak-Mergendey is dressed in the five-colored clothes of a Tuvan llama, his head is adorned with a five-petal crown, and his elongated earlobes have earrings. A large bump (ushnisha), a sign of the Buddha, can be discerned on the Elder’s forehead.
A snow leopard skin can be seen on the right side of the throne, and on the left, there is a Buddhist symbol — the victory banner. It signifies triumph over ignorance and death.
Instead of bodhisattvas, there is a shaman with a red body at the bottom of the picture. He is dressed in a traditional costume with snakes drawn on it, and he holds ritual attributes — a tambourine and a beater. The opposite side of the picture shows a shamaness with a white body. There is a table with offerings and sacrificial animals — a goat and a horse.
The thanqa’s upper left corner shows the daytime white sun, and the upper right corner — the nighttime red sun. The whole scene is depicted against a background of mountains and lakes.
