Lokpalas (Chokyong)

The Four Guardian Kings are normally seen at the entrance hallway to monasteries and are possibly of Mongol origin. Four kings for each direction;the eastern chief is white with a lute, the southern is blue holding a sword, the western is red holding a thunderbolt. Vaishravana (Namtoese), the Protector of the North, also doubles as the god of wealth and can be seen riding a snow lion and holding a banner of victory and a jewel-spitting mongoose.

Yamantaka (Dorie Jigie)

A wrathful form of Jampelyang. Known as the Destroyer of Yama, the Demon of Death, he is a favourite protector of the Gelugpa order. He is a blue colour with eight heads, the main one of which is the head of a bull. He wears a garland of skulls around his neck, a belt of skulls and holds a skull cup and a flaying knife in his 34 arms. He tramples on eight Hindu gods, eight mammals and eight birds with his 16 feet.

Mahakala (Nagpo Chenpo)

The "Great Black One”. A wrathful, Tantric deity with connections to the Hindu god Siva. There are many varieties with anything from two to six arms. He is blue with fanged teeth and a tiara of skulls and carries a trident and a skull cup. He is believed by nomads to be the guardian of the tent.

Hayagriva (Tamdrin)

The 'Horse-necked One', a wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. He has a red      body, his right face is white, his left face is green and he has a horse's head in his hair.      He wears a tiara of skulls, a necklace of severed heads and a tiger skin around his waist.      He holds a skull cup, a lotus, a sword, a snare, an axe, and a club and stands on a      sun disc trampling corpses. On his back are the wings of Garuda and the skins of a human and an elephant. Here he embraces a blue consort. He has close connections to the Hindu god Vishnu.

Vajrapani (Chana Dorje)

The name of the wrathful Bodhisattva of Energy means 'thunderbolt in hand'. He holds a thunderbolt (dorje or vajra) in his right hand, which represents power and is a fundamental symbol of Tantric faith. He is dark blue with a tiger skin around his waist and a snake around his neck. He also has a peaceful, standing aspect.

Shri Devi (Palden Lhamo)

Special protector of Lhasa, the Dalai Lama and the Gelugpa order and a female counterpart of Mahakala. Her origins probably lie in the Hindu goddess Kali. She is blue, wears clothes of tiger and human skin and has earrings made of a snake and a lion. She carries a club in her right hand and a skull cup full of blood in the left. She holds the moon in her hair, the sun in her belly and a corpse in her mouth and rides a mule with an eye in its rump.