Newari Goddess Lakshmi Ceremony (Brocadeless Thangka)

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The interiors of the household- expansive walls, luxurious curtains, and airy space hint that this ceremony is being conducted in a wealthy home, enriched by the boons of Devi Lakshmi or Laxmi. On the right side of the viewer against a darkened backdrop of the wall appears goddess Lakshmi, regally sitting on a lotus tinted with rich pink color in a rare “Bhadarasana” posture, with both her legs dangling. Devi is draped in a bright red colored embroidered sari with a green Kayabandha (waist cloth), wears queenly silver jewelry, and a garland of white flowers.

Her form glows with a distinctive golden glimmer which is intensified by the yellow aura behind her lovely face. With her primary hands, the goddess makes the “Abhaya Mudra” or gesture of fearlessness (right) and “Varada Mudra” or gesture of disseminating boon (left) while in her secondary hands she holds the Jwala Nhaykan (mirror with fiery edgings) and Sinamu (container for sindoor), uniquely Newari ritual objects. Underneath the image of the goddess in this Newari Laxmi Thangka is a rich blue silken carpet on which a Kurma or tortoise (an auspicious animal) is placed as Devi’s footrest.

A brass lamp is kept in front of the mother goddess, with three lumps of grains, flowers,  a bowl of milk, fruits, and incense sticks. The female devotee dressed in an ethnically patterned pink sari sits in front of the deity with a platter of flowers and Pancha-Patra (utensil used in Hindu ritual for offering water), leaning toward Maa Lakshmi appearing to be saluting the goddess.

The most striking part of this Devi Lakshmi Thangka is on the left half of the canvas which depicts two curious characters- one man dressed royally in the European fashion with a chest in his hands and the other is an otherworldy being (a Yaksha) covered in white hair, with an overflowing bag of gems in his hands.

The man can be understood as a royal, a king, who controls worldly riches and the Yaksha is a divine creature who knows the secret of hidden and celestial treasures. The prowess of Mahalakshmi lies in attracting the wealth of the mortal and cosmic realm to the house of her devotee, a fact that is perfectly demonstrated by the presence of the two carriers of wealth.

In the distant background of this Newari Lakshmi Thangka painting, from the window in the green wall one can catch a glimpse of the snow-capped Himalayan mountains covered with greenery. Enriched with natural and cultural tones, this painting is a remembrance of the warmth with which the Newars adore their deities.

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.