Photo shows various kinds of exquisite tsatsas displayed at Tibetan Tsatsa Cultural Exhibition Hall in Dokte town of Lhasa, capital of Tibet. [Photo taken by Tenzin Woebom/VTIBET.com]

Tsatsa, a kind of small molded Buddhist art work, originates in ancient India and later has been introduced and flourished in Tibetan Buddhist region for centuries. With its unique religious art form, the extraordinary tsatsa sculpture has developed rapidly in Tibet during the process of the spread of Buddhism.

Traditionally in Tibet, tsatsas were made with clay from the earth, left to harden, and placed on altars, shrines or in other holy places. These days, more modern and durable materials are used, such as plaster, hydrostone, or architectural-grade gypsum and other materials.

Though small, tsatsa serves the same purposes as other Buddhist forms, such as the mural painting and thangka. Buddhists recognize tsatsas as symbols of Buddhist merits, and use them to express their deep reverence for the Buddha, as well as their explanation of Buddhist doctrines.

Photo shows various kinds of exquisite tsatsas displayed at Tibetan Tsatsa Cultural Exhibition Hall in Dokte town of Lhasa, capital of Tibet. [Photo taken by Tenzin Woebom/VTIBET.com]

Photo shows small molded Buddhist art works. [Photo taken by Tenzin Woebom/VTIBET.com]

Thanks to the increasing awareness of protection of the traditional tsatsa art work, more than 19 thousand tsatsas with different ages, patterns and styles as well as colors were collected and displayed at Tibetan Tsatsa Cultural Exhibition Hall in Dokte town of Lhasa, capital of Tibet.

"We collect these tsatsas from various regions of Tibet. Some of the oldest tsatsas even have more than thousands of years of history. They are very rare and precious." introduced Nyima Gyelbo, a collector of the exhibition hall, adding, "tsatsas are generally made of clay and used as offerings at shrines. Like many Tibetan sacred objects, they are iconographic forms representing various meditational Buddhas."

When talking about the significance of making tsatsa, Nyima pointed out that making tsatsas is a powerful way to purify obstacles and to collect extensive merits. "Casting a tsatsa is just like painting a thangka. During the process of making tsatsa, it purifies the mind and brings total liberation from all sufferings. There are many benefits of making tsatsas. Tibetans believe that people will gain lots of enjoyments, achieve good reputations as well as perfect surroundings and so forth."

Photo shows the biggest tsatsa displayed at Tibetan Tsatsa Cultural Exhibition Hall in Dokte town of Lhasa, capital of Tibet. [Photo taken by Tenzin Woebom/VTIBET.com]

According to Nyima, "casting a perfect tsatsa is not an easy work. Many causes and conditions are involved in creating a perfect and flawless image, let’s say, the air temperature, the quality of molds and materials, the skill of the maker, the type of brush used, and of course, the karma of the person making them. "

Having long history, superb creative technique, mysterious cultural implications as well as unique artistic value, tsatsa is not only known as the epitome of traditional Tibetan art culture but also treated as treasured collectible item, arousing the interests of numerous experts, artists and collectors.

In recent years, central government and regional government have set great store by the protection and development of the traditional tsatsa art work, devoting a great amount of human, financial and material resources to ensure the inheritance, promotion and development of the fine traditional culture of Tibet.

Photo shows a Shakyamuni Buddha tsatsa. Tsatsa is a typical representative of Tibetan Buddhist arts. [Photo taken by Tenzin Woebom/VTIBET.com]

Photo shows a tsatsa with Guru Padmasambhava statue. [Photo taken by Tenzin Woebom/VTIBET.com]

Photo shows a tsatsa depicting Vajrabhairava. [Photo taken by Tenzin Woebom/VTIBET.com]