Rigsum Gonpo (Tibetan: རིགས་གསུམ་མགོན་པོ) translates roughly as "Lords of the Three Families" or "Protectors of the Three Types." The name refers to a trio of bodhisattvas who together represent the three fundamental qualities that a practitioner cultivates on the path to enlightenment: wisdom, compassion, and power.
Unlike a single deity, Rigsum Gonpo is a grouping — three separate bodhisattvas depicted together in one composition, each embodying a different enlightened quality of the Buddha. This makes Rigsum Gonpo thangkas some of the most complete and symbolically rich pieces in Tibetan Buddhist art, since they combine three major figures in a single sacred image.
Manjushri (Tibetan: Jampelyang) is the bodhisattva of transcendent wisdom, usually depicted in orange or yellow, holding a flaming sword in his right hand that cuts through ignorance, and a lotus supporting the Prajnaparamita text in his left. He represents the sharp, discriminating clarity needed to see reality as it truly is.
Avalokiteshvara, known in Tibetan as Chenrezig, is the bodhisattva of compassion and is considered the patron deity of Tibet. He is most often shown in white with four arms, holding a crystal mala, a lotus, and a wish-fulfilling jewel held between his palms. Chenrezig embodies the boundless compassion that motivates enlightened action for the benefit of all beings.
Vajrapani is the bodhisattva of spiritual power and the remover of obstacles. Typically depicted in blue, in a wrathful or semi-wrathful posture, holding a vajra (thunderbolt scepter), he represents the fierce energy and strength required to overcome inner and outer obstacles on the path.
Rigsum Gonpo appears throughout Tibetan Buddhist practice because wisdom, compassion, and power are considered inseparable requirements for enlightenment — wisdom without compassion can be cold, compassion without wisdom can be misguided, and neither is effective without the power to act. Depicting the three together is a reminder that a complete spiritual path requires the balanced cultivation of all three qualities at once.
You'll commonly see Rigsum Gonpo:
In traditional thangka composition, Manjushri, Chenrezig, and Vajrapani are typically arranged with Chenrezig at the center (reflecting the centrality of compassion in Mahayana practice), Manjushri to one side, and Vajrapani to the other — though regional and lineage variations exist. Each figure retains their traditional colors, hand implements (mudras and attributes), and seated or standing posture, painted according to the same Karma Gadri or other traditional styles used throughout Himalayan thangka art.
https://thangkafromlandofbuddha.com/blog/who-is-akshobhya-buddha-meaning-iconography-and-symbolism
https://thangkafromlandofbuddha.com/blog/the-21-tara-manifestations-of-swift-compassion
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