Chinese heritage survey workers have discovered a rare Thangka
portrait of legendary Mongol leader Genghis Khan in a temple in
north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said a local
cultural heritage official on Thursday.
The painting was drawn by a late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
Mongolian artist, probably in the nineteenth century, said Wang
Dafang, an official with the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Inner
Mongolia.
The portrait is painted on a piece of cloth 28.5 cm long and
21cm wide.
Thangka is a Tibetan art form that dates back 1,000 years and
which mainly depicts images from Tibetan Buddhism, according to
Wang.
It was discovered in Wudangzhao Temple, in Baotou City, a
Tibetan Buddhist temple that was restored in 1749.
The painting shows Genghis Khan in martial attire, riding a
white horse and holding a banner in his right hand, with a bow and
a quiver of arrows on his back, according to Wang.
"It is rare to have a Thangka painting of Genghis Khan, though
there are different portraits of this emperor in history," said
Wang.
The painting indicates that Tibetan Buddhists also regarded
Genghis Khan as a hero, said Wang.
Genghis Khan, whose grandson Kublai Khan founded the Yuan
Dynasty (1271-1368), unified Mongol tribes and conquered most of
Eurasia. He was later given the title "Genghis Khan", which means
"universal ruler".
(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2006)
