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Marichi: Goddess of Dawn Pulled by a Chariot of Seven Pigs

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Name: Marichi: Goddess of Dawn Pulled by a Chariot of Seven Pigs
Brand: Exotic India
SKU: TU12
Price: 295.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$295

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Item Code:	TU12
Specifications:	Tibetan Thangka Painting
Dimensions	Size of Painted Surface 15 inch X 20.2 inch Size with Brocade 25 inch X 35.6 inch

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Marichi is a female meditational deity who belongs to the Kriya Tantra. Her name means, ray of light, is often referred to as goddess of dawn. Marichi is invoked by the Lamas of Tibet about the time of sun-rise, which shows her connection with the sun. She too, like the Hindu Sun-god, has a chariot and her chariot is drawn by seven pigs, while that of the Sun-god drawn by seven horses. In China she is called "Queen of the Heaven". According to tradition Marichi is a protector who removes obstacles and brings great pleasure. Both a ritual prayer to her and her mantra, Om Marichi Mum Swaha, is recited every morning at dawn. In this prayer and recitation, a practitioner visualizes rays in the shape of Marichi that emerge from her to purify all beings. The rays return to the practitioner bringing good qualities, such as compassion and wisdom. The rays also reach all evil spirits, blind them, and take away their desire to do harm to the practitioner and his or her loved ones and friends. To complete the prayer, the wish is expressed that the merit gained from the ritual will brings all beings into enlightenment.

The cult of Marichi is popular in Tibet, Mongolia and China. There are several shrines dedicated to her in Tibet. In Japan she is believed to reside in one of the seven stars forming the constellation of the Great bear. The images of Marichi have also been discovered from different parts of eastern India which shows her popularly. Here the thangka shows one form of Marichi with three heads, and eight arms. Her all the faces have peaceful expression with three eyes. Her heads wear crown with gemstone. Her hair is partly upswept in a knot with a decoration on it and partly falls on her shoulders. Her main right hand holds a vajra, her upper right hand holds vajra axe, her second right hand holds an arrow and her lower right hand is in charity mudra with a needle. Her main left hand is holding a branch of Ashoka tree, her upper left hand holds a noose with tarjani mudra, and her lower left hand holds a thread. She is seated in lalitasana on a chariot drawn by seven pigs. She is adorned with hoop earrings, necklaces with flower motifs, armlets, bracelets, anklets with gemstone, flowing silk scarves and dhoti.

The background is decorated with clouds and stylized designs, while middle ground and foreground depict a bit mountainous landscape of Tibetan style. Lower left and right corners are filled with auspicious offerings and roses, respectively. The thangka is suitable for the sadhana and ritual of Marichi to remove obstacles and which finally bring dawn and happiness one's life.

Select Bibliography

A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962
B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Calcutta, 1968
L.A. Waddell, Buddhism & Lamaism of Tibet, 1895, Delhi, 1979 (reprint)

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.)".

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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.

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