These Tibetan Buddhist tingsha (dingsha, tingshaw),for use in meditation, yoga, feng shui or on other ceremonial or ritual occasions, are decorated with two embossed dragons.
Dragons in Tibetan art are often indistinguishable from nagas, or serpents, which appear in both Hindu mythology and northern Buddhism. Naga/dragons are of four main kinds:
- celestial, guarding the mansions of the gods
- aerial, causing winds and rain to benefit human beings
- earthly, marking the courses of rivers and streams
- guardians of hidden treasures
Tibetan dragons often hold a jewel in each of their clawed feet, performing the traditional function of guardians of spiritual and earthly wealth.
