THANGKA ART

Thangka is a rollabe hand painted sacred art painted on cotton and canvas which is hung on the walls of Buddhist monasteries  and in the Buddhist followers' worshipping room in order to pray,visualize and mediatate,used in decoration as a beauatiful form of art as well. In Thangka paintings ,especially  the god and goddesses of Buddhism are drawn and painted . These include Pancha Buddhas(Five Buddhas),Bodhisattwas,Dharma protectors,Arhats,Vajrasattwa, Yidam deities,Avalokiteshwara,Maitreya,Manjushree,Vajrapani,Taras,

Mandalas,etc. Life story of Buddha Shakyamuni, mandala.Kalachakra and wheel of life (Samsara) are popular varieties of thangka.In the background scenery,sky mountains rivers,trees,flowers,caves,rocks,symbols of five elements and animals are beautifully painted as the need of theme. Thangka is an important visual textbook for learning and teaching Buddhist philosophy.It is also taken as a means of learning and teaching meditation.In Buddhist communities ,it is believed that having thangka at home fulfills one's wishes protects from evil spirits,diseases,and natural calamities etc. and maintains peace. So,Buddhist chooses according to his/her need of favourite deity to worship and use thangka on different special functions and auspicious occasions. It is taken as an excellent form of traditional art for the non-Buddhist art lovers.Tourists who come to visit Nepal also buy thangkas as a special souvenir and as a symbol of the land where Buddha was born.Thangkas are kept unframed and rolled up when not on display,mounted on textile backing somewhat in the style of Chinese scroll paintings,with a silk cover on the front so that it can last for a long time.Thangkas can be glass framed in modern style nowadays. Because oftheir delicate nature thangkas have to be put in dry places where moisture can not affect  the colors.Thangkas are available in different sizes,but some are very large,sseveral metres in dimension ,these are made to be displayed especially for very short period on a monastery wall as a part of religious festival moments.Most thangkas are means of personal meditation or instruction for monastic students. Images of gods and goddesses in thangka can be used as teaching tools when depicting the life of Buddha , explaining historical events regarding important lamas or narrating nmyths related with other deities.Devotional images represent as the centerpiece during ritual or ceremony and are often used as mediums through which one can offer prayers or make request. Overall,and perhaps most importantly, religious art is used as a meditation tool to help to bring one further down the path to enlightenment.In Vajrayana a Buddhist practitioner uses a thangka image of their yidam,or meditation deity as a guide , by visualizing "themselves as being that deity, thereby internalizing the Buddha qualities." Thangkas can be hung on beside altars, in the meeting rooms,offices of monks and other devotees.