Depicting the Pehar Gyalpo with 3 Geluk Masters

According to Tibetan Buddhist myth, Gyalpo Pehar ( Tibetan: རྒྱལ་པོ་དཔེ་ཧར ) is a spirit belonging to the gyalpo class.

When Padmasambhava arrived in Tibet in the eighth century, he subdued all gyalpo spirits and put them under control of Gyalpo Pehar, who promised not to harm any sentient beings and was made the chief guardian spirit of Samye during the reign of Trisong Deutsen.

The protector deity Pehar Gyalpo is depicted with three Geluk masters above.

Thangka painting chart

Depicting the Pehar Gyelpo with 3 Geluk Masters

N°1 Gyeltsabje Darma Rinchen

Gyaltsab Je (Tibetan: རྒྱལ་ཚབ་རྗེ་) (1364–1432) or more elaborately, Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen was born in the Tsang province of central Tibet.

He was a famous student of Je Tsongkhapa, and actually became the first Ganden Tripa (throne holder) of the Gelug tradition after Je Tsongkhapa’s death.

He also studied with Rendawa Zhonnu Lodro (red mda’ ba gzhon nu blo gros, 1349-1412).

N°2 Khedrubje Gelek Pelzang

Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, 1st Panchen Lama (1385–1438 CE) – better known as Khedrup Je – was one of the main disciples of Je Tsongkhapa, whose reforms to Atiśa’s Kadam tradition are considered the beginnings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Khedrub Je is considered to be an emanation of Manjusri, the Buddha of Wisdom.

N°3 Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa

Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (Tib. ཙོང་ཁ་པ་བློ་བཟང་གྲགས་པ་) (1357-1419) — the founder of the Gelug school.

As a young man he distinguished himself through his study and his intellect.

The last thirty years of his life were dedicated to teaching, writing, founding monasteries and other activities that greatly contributed to the revitalization of Buddhism in Tibet.

N°4 Pehar Gyalpo

Pehar is the leader of a band of five gyalpo spirits and would later become the protector deity of Nechung Monastery in the 17th century under the auspices of the Fifth Dalai Lama.