Achi Lhamo

During the opening rituals of traditional Lhamo opera, the Achi Lhamo sang praises to Thangton Gyalpo, its founder. The performer’s vivid costume included a long-sleeved silk shirt, a silk brocade robe, striped apron, or bangdian, and a silk-embroidered tunic. A rainbow-hued, wing-like headdress alluded to the dakinis (female celestial beings), while a five-paneled golden crown displayed the seed syllable (an Indian Sanskrit letter adapted into Tibetan script) for each of the five Buddha families, and its representative color.