Kanwal Krishna

(Indian, 1910-1993)

Portrait of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at his enthronement

Footnotes

Provenance
The collection of Sir Basil Gould CBE. CIE.
By direct descent to the current owners.

Exhibited
London, Berkeley Galleries, 'Mystic Art of Ancient Tibet', November 1949.
Zurich, Völkerkundemuseum, University of Zurich, 'The Dalai Lamas', August 2005.

Bibliography
'The Geographical Magazine' vol.XIX No.6, October 1946 (illustrated on the front cover in black & white and on p 28 in colour).
Gould, B.J., 'The Jewel in the Lotus', pub 1957 Chatto & Windus, London, (illustrated frontispiece in black & white).
Brauen, M., The Dalai Lamas, pub 2005 Arnoldsche, Stuttgart, (illustrated no. 233 in colour).

The above work was painted in Lhasa in May 1940 and depicts His Holiness on the throne in the Potala at the culminating event of his enthronement Ser Thri Nga Sol or the Request to Occupy the Golden Throne.

Born in Tibet's Amdo province, the first suspicion that the infant Lhamo Thondup was destined for great things came when, at the age of around eighteen months, he was among a group of children presented to the 9th Panchen Lama. This was confirmed two years later when, following several divinations and consultations with Tibet's most important oracles and having passed a formal examination, the child was recognised as the authentic reincarnation of the Great Thirteenth Dalai Lama who had died in 1933.

Few who have met him since he was enthroned in February 1940 have doubted that they were in the presence of someone truly extraordinary. What though have been his greatest achievements? Unquestionably, there are two. In the temporal realm, his crowning achievement has been to bring harmony to the many competing factions with which, traditionally, Tibet has been riven. In the 21st century, the Tibetan people are unified under his embrace more deeply than they have been since the 7th century. Arguably more significant still has been the Dalai Lama's impact in the spiritual realm. Thanks in large part to him, Buddhism is now popular throughout the entire world, while the Tibetan variant of it has enjoyed remarkable success in establishing centres across what was formerly thought of as Christendom The popularity of mindfulness and other forms of Buddhist-derived meditation can in large part be attributed to the Dalai Lama's influence.

But what of the man himself? As someone who has enjoyed the immense privilege of working with the Dalai Lama on three of his best-selling books, including his autobiography, Freedom in Exile, I am occasionally asked to account for his extraordinary magnetism. My answer is that it lies in his humility. This is a person who takes seriously the injunction to be modest and unassuming, to put others before self and to regard his enemies as his greatest teachers. Unlike so many religious figures, this is, furthermore, one who does not merely talk the talk. He walks the walk – softly but with unflinching dedication. A great man, if ever there was one.

Gould gives a lengthy account of the Enthronement ceremony:

"By three o'clock in the morning of February 22nd all of Lhasa was awake. An hour and a half before dawn the members of the cabinet and other high officials assembled for the first ceremonious drinking of tea in a small hall outside the private apartment of the Dalai Lama.

It was still an hour before dawn when a giant lictor, with a voice like the roar of a bull ordered silence. All stood, while attendants entered the hall bearing warm wrappings which they arranged reverently on the throne.

After a pause there was a blare of trumpets. The door was opened and there entered at a brisk pace a small figure in golden robes and pointed yellow hat with long flaps over the ears, his hands held by the Chikyab Khenpo and the Kalon Lama. With their help he quickly climbed the lower steps in front of the throne. Then he was lifted onto the throne by Chikyab Khenpo and made warm and comfortable in his wrappings.

After the Dalai Lama there had come the Regent dressed in yellow silk, the Prime Minister and the Trulku of the Takta monastery and next the members of the Cabinet, and other civil officials according to rank. On entering all prostrated themselves before the Dalai Lama. Monks of the Potala Monastery advanced and in low tones offered prayer for the long life and prosperity of the Dalai Lama.

Then the Regent uttered words in praise of the Dalai Lama and wished him a prosperous reign. He prostrated himself three times before the throne, advanced slowly up the steps and offered a white silk scarf which was received on behalf of the Dalai Lama by the Chikyab Khenpo. The Regent and the Dalai Lama then saluted one another by touching forehead to forehead and the Regent, having received a silk scarf from the Chikyab Khenpo then withdrew to his throne.
After the Regent came the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet, the family of the Dalai Lama, Abbots of monasteries, Incarnation Lamas, a troupe of dancing boys and officials of the Church and State. On some the Dalai Lama conferred blessing with both hands and the more lowly received the blessing by tassel, held by the Chikyab Khenpo. The number that sought blessing was so great that the ceremony lasted five hours."

The artist made two further versions of this subject, an unsigned and undated version purchased circa 1941 by the US Tibetologist Charles Suydam Cutting is currently in the collection of Newark Museum, USA. The other version was known, until recently, to be in the collection of the family of the late Choygal of Sikkim.