Mahasiddha, literally “great powerful ones,” are historic, semi-legendary individuals, many of whom lived between the sixth century B.C. and the twelfth century A.D. Groups of eight to eighty-four mahasiddha are commonly revered in Tibet for a variety of extraordinary deeds and miracles. In addition to depictions in sculptures, textiles and bookcovers, images of Mahasiddha frequently appear in the tops of paintings indicating their place within teaching lineages for a variety of practices.