The Black Yamantaka Ekavira – Wrathful Emanation of Manjushri

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Yamantaka is actually the terrific emanation of Manjushri, his wrathful aspect. He is the sacred terror so that the people never betray the precepts of the Buddha Shakyamuni. He is the fusion of two aspects: the blessed aspect and the irate aspect of Manjushri. He is so fierce as to destroy all forces contrary to Dharma. In order to conquer Death, the compassionate Bodhisattva assumes the buffalo-headed form of Yama, Lord of Death. Thus Yamantaka symbolizes the victory of Wisdom over Death, death being associated with ignorance by Buddhists.

In Tibetan Buddhist practices, there are three main forms of Yamantaka – the red Yamantaka, Ratktaymari, the black Yamantaka, Krishnayamari, and the Vajrabhairava, the Diamond Terrifier. The present painting is of the black Yamantaka Ekavira meaning Lone Hero, the only form who does not embrace a consort. This form of Yamantaka is tremendous powerful. As mentioned above, he has nine faces, three on each side of the main head and one above it, each with three eyes. The main head is that of a fierce buffalo with horns. The small topmost head is of Manjushri. The eight other heads wear skull crowns, and their hair rises upward, signifying the deity's enlightenment. Yamantaka wears bone ornaments, necklaces of freshly cut human heads and of a snake. He has twenty-four arms, twelve on each side with his two main arms that hold a skull cup and vajra ghanta. His remaining hands are holding Tantra symbols. He has sixteen legs, eight on each side. Lying under his slight bent legs are one human male and seven animals that are, in turn, stepping on four heavenly gods. Under his outstretched left legs, eight birds are also stepping on four devas. His body is short and fat, with a protruding belly. He is naked except for his ornaments. There is protective fire aureole behind him.

On the top is Vajradhara Yab-Yum, flaked by Tsong Khapa and Mahasiddha Naropa. Below the Tsong khapa on the left side, Manjushri is seated on a throne. Vajrasattva Father-Mother is depicted below Naropa on the right side. On the foreground are goddess Palden Lhamo – the protector of Dalai Lama and Dharma, six-armed Mahakala – the Great Black One, Dharmaraja Yama – god of Death and hell, Vaishravana – guardian of the North and the god of Wealth. Brilliantly drawn and painted. Its dark setting is very effective in creating a serious mood. The painting is very much suitable for esoteric practices.

Selective Bibliography

A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962

B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography,Calcutta, 1968

J.C. Huntington and D. Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, Ohio, 2004

Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A.F. Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, Thames and Hudson, 1996

R. Linrothe & J. Watt, Demonic Divine: Himalayan Art and Beyond, New York, 2005

This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)".

Click Here to View the Thangka Painting along with its Brocade

Free Shipping. Delivered by to all international destinations within 3 to 5 days, fully insured.

Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas

A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha, various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet. Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.

The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.

After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then outlined with black ink.

Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black, green, yellow, etc.

In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification, thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other ordinary paintings.

Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front, and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.