When the Mongols converted to Buddhism in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, they adopted equestrian deities of Central Asian origin, venerating them for bringing health, wealth, happiness, and success in war. These deities were re-contextualized within Mongol heroic culture as archetypes of valor, strength, and power. In his analysis of offering texts dedicated to süld tenger and Chinggis Khan, Walther Heissig highlighted the confusion between these deities, who embody the Mongol’s “war spirit” and possess multiple narrative identities. This paper examines a set of paintings that have become the subject of controversy in contemporary Mongolia. Nyam-Ochir, a proponent of the Buddhist veneration of Chinggis Khan, identifies them as depictions of the Mongol great ancestor. In contrast, the monastic community of Tariat Monastery in central Mongolia, which has preserved rituals dedicated to Geser (Tib. Ge sar), asserts that the paintings represent Geser Khan, a figure identified with the Chinese god Guandi during the Qing period (1691–1911). Can these images assume new identities depending on historical context, location, or ethnic group? This paper explores phenomena of superscriptions, conflations, and borrowings, analyzing the different stakes involved in the promotion of Geser Khan and Chinggis Khan in the broader context of nationalism and the revival of local identities.