King Gesar is an epic orally passed down through history. With a view to attracting more audience, some balladeers began making drawings to illustrate the contents and these became the earliest form of Tangka painting about Gesar.

People, however, also cherished the Gesar Tangka for home worship purposes. Most of these paintings depict Gesar mounted on a horse in battle. Such paintings can be further divided into two types: One type finds expression in the 10 tangka paintings collected by the Jigmei Museum in Paris; and the second type includes 11 tangka paintings by the Sichuan Provincial Museum.

Both groups measure 83.5 cm high and 59 cm wide. The difference between them is that those collected by the Paris museum do not have captions in the Tibetan language, whereas those found in Sichuan have detailed Tibetan captions. Judging from the way they are mounted, the Sichuan ones are older. Tibetologists consider these in Sichuan are of better academic value.

Tangka paintings of the Sichuan Provincial Museum were partly collected in the 1940s by the Huaxi Border Study Institute, and partly by Liu Wenhui. They were produced to the Central Government Delegation that visited Garze in the 1950s. The delegation left these to the department concerned as a collection in the provincial museum. According to Wang Jiayou, a researcher with the museum, they were created during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). However, Wang Pingzhen, a specialist in tangka paintings, dates them to the following Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Langman Gyimo
The top of the painting depicts how lamas of the Nyingma Sect emerged from generation to generation. In the center Langman Gyimo, Gesar's aunt, rides a yellow sheep to descend from heaven to earth. This predicts the possible birth of a talented king. To the left of the picture is a depiction of the family of the Dragon King Zouna Renqen. Around Langman Gyimo are three small paintings. The top middle one depicts the three generations of the Senglun tribe. The top right one depicts the palace of Senglun, where the three generations of the Tibetan king and the Dragon God are depicted, complete with an array of religious objects, sutra streamers, arrows and spears. The top left one depicts the birth of Gesar. He nestles in the bosom of his mother. By the third day after his birth, he is already as big as a normal three-year-old boy, and is so strong that he kills an enemy on the day of his birth, and on the following day kills a demon and shoots dead an argali incarnated from a demon. The picture in the middle to the left depicts how he kills a spell chanter on the sixth day. To the right is a depiction of how Gesar and his mother are driven to the bank of the Yellow River, where they live on wild vegetables and tail-less rats. The picture below it tells how they are exiled to Mamai Banlung Sumdog, a lush grassland that is home to wild deer, sheep and tigers that attracts many pilgrims of the Tibetan and Han ethnic groups. Another picture below shows how the State of Ling suffered from a snowstorm, and how Gesar and his mother are invited by Ling residents to help tide over the calamity. These pictures unfold the mysterious story with regard to the birth of Gesar.

Shinga Dongqen Garbo
The top part of the drawing depicts five Buddhas, with the Oriental Buddha in the middle, the Sumeru Mountain to the right to symbolize the Buddhist paradise. In the center is Shinga Dongqen Garbo (Buddhist guardian) with a human body and bird's beak-like mouth, and armed with two strong wings; he rides a roc through the clouds. To the left of the picture Gesar is seen, wearing a white robe and white felt hat, lecturing to a group of people. To the right, the five-year-old Gesar goes to fetch gold in Ngari and yaks in Golog, conquers Wild Yak Gully, and distributes yaks among the populace. To the right of the central part of a portrait, the six-year-old Gesar distributes crystals among the populace, and to the left of the central part is the Dragon Maid, who shoots dead a wild bull incarnated from a demon so as to protect Gesar. Below right, the seven-year-old Gesar distributes qingke barley among the people when he had conquered Dengke. Below right, Gesar is making a helmet with feathers of a roc that he has captured.

Nyainqen Dorje Bawache
At the top of the drawing is the Lotus Buddha. In the center is Nyainqen Dorje Bawache, the noted mountain god in the Tibetan-inhabited areas in China. He is also the victorious general of King Gesar. Holding beads in the left hand and religious objects in the right hand, he has a talisman on his chest. With a wisdom eye in the forehead, he sits astride his horse. At top right, the nine-year-old Gesar is distributing sheep among the populace in Nyipolho. At top left is a picture of people of the State of Ling carrying the throne of their king. The middle part to the right of the picture depicts Gesar building a palace by dint of his magical powers while he himself is lecturing in front of the hall. At top right, Gesar has turned into a bird that makes a prediction while sitting on a roof. In the middle of the lower part, people from the areas concerned are shown gathering for a horse race.

Tsang Yamshiong Mapo
This is a portrait of the Buddhist Guardian Tsang Yamshiong Mapo, who wears armor and has a wisdom eye in his forehead. Holding a spear in his right hand, he has a bronze mirror to protect his heart. The top left of the picture depicts a country that produces gems, which are kept in an iron warehouse. Gesar disguises him as a lame old lady who carries a blind woman to observe the surroundings of the warehouse. The top left depicts the king's daughter, who recognizes that this is Gesar, and opens the warehouse and presents the gems to him. When he is 10, he gets a gold hairpin from Dragon Maid of Mampang Yumco Lake, and scatters gold among the people. The top right depicts the 12-year-old Gesar who, with assistance from the Mountain God, takes back armor for distribution among his generals. The middle part to the right depicts the 12-year-old Gesar distributing horses among the people.

Dragon King Zouna Renqen
This is a drawing of five Buddhas and lamas with the Red Sect. In the middle is the Dragon King with a human head but a snake's body. He wears a crown adorned with gems and nine snakes. He has treasure bottles and other treasures in his hands. He rides a white elephant. Below him are Gesar's residential palaces, flanked by the palaces for his brother, ministers and generals rising up the mountain slopes.

King Gesar
At the top part of the drawing are the battle deities and guardian warriors. In the center of the drawing is Gesar wearing a battle helmet adorned with feathers in the shape of an umbrella and planted with four small banners. He has a spear in his right hand and his left hand cups his jaw as if he is thinking of something. He sits on the back of his horse sideways, and the horse gazes at drifting clouds as if he is ready to gallop. To the left of Gesar is a picture of the 12-year-old Gesar who builds a 1000-Buddha hall. A palace is painted in the middle part; it is used to house sutra books written in gold and silver ink; another palace is painted in the lower part to house various kinds of weapons. To the left is Gesar who sits inside his luxurious tent to recite sutras. In the middle part to the right is a depiction of Gesar being welcomed by his generals and concubines when he returns from the battle.

Lugyiu Tugang
The top part of the drawing shows how lamas with the Nyingma Sect appeared through history. In the middle is Lugyiu Tugang, the warrior guardian of Gesar, with six snakes around his crown, and tassels in front of his chest. In his left hand is a snake and in his right hand is a sutra book. In the drawing there are some other pictures showing how a general seizes horses from the State of Hor for the State of Ling, how Gyiacha discusses military strategies together with other generals, how generals of Ling tie a general with the State of Hor onto a wooden pillar and has him shot dead. All these stories are taken from the first part of the Battle between Hor and Ling, an important chapter of King Gesar.

Dorje Sulily
At the top of the drawing is the Buddha's Warrior Attendant with a Pig's Head, who is flanked by lamas of the Nyingma Sect. The central part of the drawing depicts Dorje Sulily, a red-faced Nganyimaqin Mountain God. Legend has it that he is in charge of the area drained by the Yellow River. The mountain god has a rat in his left hand and holds treasures in his right. Wearing a Tibetan robe, he rides on the back of a fierce tiger whose head tips upward and who rides auspicious clouds. There are some other pictures in the drawing: Gesar in his Lion-Dragon-Tiger Peak Palace; Eagle, Roc and Wolf Generals who follow Gesar in battle; Gesar disguised as a cowherd to return to the State of Ling; under the guidance of Zholma, Gesar kills Prince Baichang to avenge the death of his people and brother Gyiacha. This drawing takes themes from the second half of the Battle between Hor and Ling.

Battle Warrior Welma
The top part of the drawing shows how the Nyingma Sect developed through history. In the middle is the Battle Warrior Welma, who wears a battle helmet with two small banners adorned with two birds. The armor-clad figure holds a spear in his left hand and religious objects in his right. He wears Tibetan boots, and rides a white battle horse. In the lower part of the drawing are tigers, leopards, dogs and cows. There are certain pictures to their left, including one showing leaders of the Ling army who are holding a military strategy meeting, one depicting a battle between Hor and Ling troops on both banks of the Yellow River. This drawing takes up a theme from the Battle between Hor and Ling.

Warrior Attendant Cangba
The top part of the drawing depicts how the Nyingma Sect developed through history. In the center is the Buddha's Warrior Attendant Cangba. With a sea conch used to adorn his head, he rides on the back of a horse whose feet are stepping onto a lotus. The drawing is complete with other pictures depicting, among others, how Gesar goes to the north to fetch shields, how he reaches Wutaishan Mountain in the Han area, how he succeeds in getting tea, and how a Han girl invites Gesar to be a guest in her home.

Senggyian Telimar
The top part of this drawing depicts how the Nyingma Sect developed through history. In the center is Senggyian Telimar, a warrior attendant of Gesar. Wearing a gold crown, the female deity holds a shining mirror in her right hand, and treasures in her left, and rides on the back of a blue lion. The drawing has some other pictures depicting the war between Hor and Ling, how Gesar goes down to hell to look for his dead mother and fights a fierce battle with Yama, King of Hell, and then returns to heaven when he has finished his mission on earth.