Tsakli

Tsakli (also “tsakalis”) are Tibetan Buddhist miniature paintings, normally produced as thematic groups or sets, which are used in rituals as initiation cards, and in the training of monks.

[1] The subjects found on tsakli are similar to the better known larger Tibetan thangka scroll paintings on cloth, but much simpler, usually showing only a single deity, or a pair.

For example, before the construction of a temple is begun, the area can be marked with tsakli representing protective deities.

Similarly, tsakli can be used by a Buddhist lama to remove evil influences from a sick person, from a tree which does not bear fruit, or grain which is going to be threshed.

Larger sets of tsakli are kept between two wooden covers in a similar manner as pages of Tibetan books are protected.