This tangka shows a stocky Mahakala holding a vajra-chopper and white skullbowl. A garland of blue severed heads and strands of wavy, yellow hair somewhat enliven this rather plain, subdued, smoky colored representation. Except for his open mouth and skullbowl, the red-tipped flames of his fiery halo provide the most colourful accent. Directly above Mahakala is Padma Sambhava flanked by a Black Hat Karmapa lama and another lama. Vajrayogini appears in the upper left corner and Simhamukha in the upper right. Protectors appear at the sides and bottom; a huge red heart entwined with the five sense organs makes a truly grisly offering in a white skull-bowl, which sits at the base of Mahakala's lotus pedestal. The method of depicting the sea of blood and the linear style in general resembles the Penden Lhamo tangka.