Newari Goddess Kaumari (Brocadeless Thangka)

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Kaumari is the brilliant light of consciousness (Chidagni) that becomes one’s guide on the journey to the interiors of one’s mind- a fact which is stunningly depicted in this Kaumari Thangka with the use of a flaming background that appears to be emanating from the brilliant red body of Kaumari.

The red color of her form symbolizes the unbounded valor which Matrika possesses owning to her constant associations with the battlefield and Kumara or Kartikeya who is the commander-in-chief of the army of gods. The ferocious battling nature of Kaumari in this brocadeless Thangka is presented through her ethereal adornment that perplexes the onlooker and captivates the devotee.

Kaumari wears a jeweled five-pronged crown with flags (a symbol of victory) and skulls (a symbol of victory over death) forming its embellishment. Her glowing face with perfected and youthful feminine features and the third eye hint at her prowess as a riveting embodiment of supreme wisdom. Round gold earrings, two gemmed necklaces, and a long silver chain with a pendant, girdle, and ankle bracelets provide the mother-goddess with suitable ornamentation.

A garland of severed heads, with each one of them carrying distinctive facial expressions, frames the elegant torso of Kaumari while highlighting her ferociousness against the forces of evil. A yellow blouse, bright red dhoti (lower body garment), lavender kayabandha (waist cloth), and pink scarf form the attire of the heavenly goddess, with their folds and flows brilliantly outlined by the strokes of the artist’s brush in this Newari Paubha.

The mother goddess is four-armed and holds a sword and shield in her secondary hands, while in her primary right hand she has a skull cup embellished with golden head motifs on its rim. Kaumari's left hand is in the “Bindu-Kapala Mudra” – a hand gesture unique to the Kathmandu Valley that signifies the flicking of blood drops as an offering to any deity in Tantra rituals.

Kaumari has her legs placed apart on the flower and leaf in the lotus pond. Her swaying scarf, swinging jewelry, and the position of her legs convey that the goddess has just descended from her heavenly realm into the cosmic waters of existence marked by the lotus-covered sources of water beneath her.

The Mayura or peacock who is the bird mount of the goddess is painted in this Kaumari Thangka as a sturdy being, devoid of the generalized delicateness that is linked with this mystical bird. Accompanying the warrior-goddess, the bird to embodies qualities of a great combatant which are underlined in the sharpness of its features and a distinctive musculature discernible on its blue neck.

With no watertight lines, the artist has diagonally divided this painting into two equally mesmerizing halves- in the right half is the vigorousness of red and its shades and in the left is the depth and tranquility of green and its complementing hues. Enthralling force and otherworldly serenity, the divinity of goddess Kaumari holds sway over both.

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.