The Many Faces of Buddhahood
In India, the Thangka art tradition holds significant religious and cultural importance wherever Buddhism is practised. This includes Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and parts of Himachal Pradesh. These three-dimensional paintings have panels on scrolls of silk or cotton. They depict peaceful or wrathful gods and goddesses, and meditative mandalas.
The Making
Thangka artists must know how to draw each deity in the right sizes and proportions, according to Buddhist iconography. The artists use stone colours, vegetable dyes, gold dust, and gold thread. For bordering, they use rich silk and brocade, and add silver knobs at the bottom. Thangkas are painted on flat surfaces but can be rolled up like scrolls when not on display.
The Legacy
The origins of Thangka paintings lie in Nepalese art, and it later became popular in Tibet. Such paintings were commissioned for many different reasons. They are believed to enable meditation and are an expression of gratitude, prayer and a means of accumulating merit in this world. In Tibetan culture, appliquéd and embroidered pieces are more recognised than painted Thangkas. However, painted pieces are more common in the West and considered valuable.