A Canonical Depiction of Ushnishavijaya

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She has a white-colored body, three faces and eight arms. The central face is white, the right yellow; the left is blue and slightly wrathful. Each face has three eyes.

The first right hand holds a crossed vajra at the heart. The second holds a lotus on top of which sits Amitabha. The third holds an arrow. The fourth is in the gesture of supreme generosity.

The first left hand is in the threatening mudra, holding a vajra noose. The second holds a bow. The third is in the gesture of giving refuge. The fourth is in the meditation gesture, holding a precious vase filled with nectar.

Of her three faces, the yellow one with the gently pursed lips is charming and beautiful, the principal white one slightly open and moderately wrathful, while the blue face bares its fangs in a display of ferocious wrath. Coils of hair symmetrically fall across her two shoulders. A green scarf embellished with gold engulfs her with a flourish, acting as a halo.

Ushnisha Vijaya is an emanation of Vairochana Buddha, and is one of the three main Buddhist deities of longevity, along with the White Tara and Amitayus. The latter two can be seen at the lower layer of the painting. Ushnisha Vijaya's practice is considered to be extremely effective not only for eliminating obstacles to long life but also for purifying the negative results of unwholesome actions of body, speech and mind motivated by the poisonous delusions. Her practice is concluded with the following prayer:

I prostrate at the feet of Ushnisha Vijaya,
Glorious goddess with the color of the autumn moon,
Having an extremely beautiful and peaceful body with
three faces and eight arms,
And who bestows boundless wisdom and the best of lives.

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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.