15th-Century Thangka Shows Early Yogic Postures

A 15th-century Tibetan thangka from the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art depicts the cosmic buddha Vajradhara surrounded by 85 siddhas, including Virupa in the uppermost row. The painting contains some of the earliest Himalayan representations of complex yogic postures, linking to the cross-religious history of Hatha Yoga. The work, titled "Vajradhara with Eighty-Five Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas)," is from Western Tibet, executed in pigments on cloth, and was gifted by the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation.