Chinese heritage survey workers have discovered a rare Thangka portrait of legendary Mongol leader Genghis Khan in a temple in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said a local cultural heritage official on Thursday.

The painting was drawn by a late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Mongolian artist, probably in the nineteenth century, said Wang Dafang, an official with the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Inner Mongolia.

The portrait is painted on a piece of cloth 28.5 cm long and 21cm wide.

Thangka is a Tibetan art form that dates back 1,000 years and which mainly depicts images from Tibetan Buddhism, according to Wang.

It was discovered in Wudangzhao Temple, in Baotou City, a Tibetan Buddhist temple that was restored in 1749.

The painting shows Genghis Khan in martial attire, riding a white horse and holding a banner in his right hand, with a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back, according to Wang.

"It is rare to have a Thangka painting of Genghis Khan, though there are different portraits of this emperor in history," said Wang.

The painting indicates that Tibetan Buddhists also regarded Genghis Khan as a hero, said Wang.

Genghis Khan, whose grandson Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), unified Mongol tribes and conquered most of Eurasia. He was later given the title "Genghis Khan", which means "universal ruler".

(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2006)