Padmasambhav as Rdo-rje-gro-lod (Vajradamodara) (The Manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava)

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Among the eight forms one is named Rdo-rje-gro-lod. Thurman has also named this form as Vajradamodara and compared it with Vishnu. It is said that Padmasambhava took this form at the Tiger's Lair (Tagtsang) cave in Bhutan in order to subdue demons that were troubling the people there. He flew there mounted on the back of his consort, the Mon princess Tashi Kyidren, who transformed herself into a flying tigress.

Rdo-rje-gro-lod is presented here as a stocky figure with a brown body, deep brown hair, flowing robes, and deep brown hair. He holds a vajra and a dagger. His expression is very ferocious. He rides an equally fierce tigress, which tramples a prostrate body in an ocean of blood. He wears a garland of freshly severed human heads, earrings and bracelets. The vigor of the bold flame patterns on his back serves to enliven and add force to the image.

Around the principal figure, green mountainous landscapes with natural vegetation and blue lakes have been depicted. It contains little scene, with various lamas meditating. Among them one in the uppermost of the left side, is in meditating posture just above his seat in rainbow light. A Nyingma lama, wearing a Padmasambhava hat is seated at the top center in clouds. In the middle ground, a dakini, depicted on the left, is approaching the Guru with an offering. Her expression is also ferocious and she is wearing a tiger-skin skirt. At the bottom left a siddha is seated under the trees on a cushion with bundles of scriptures and he is also writing perhaps teaching and philosophy of Padmasambhava. The bottom center is filled with the figures of rocks, flowers, leaves and charnel ground.

In the present thangka figures have been brilliantly drawn and painted. It is very much suitable for sadhana and/or a museum collection.

References: A.Getty, The Gods Of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962

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

M.M. Rhie & R.A.F. Thurman, World of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1999

This description by Dr. Shailendra Kumar Verma, Ph.D. His doctorate thesis being on the "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.