Padmasambhava - The Savior of Tibetan Buddhism

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He sits cross-legged on a lotus base, wearing jewelled ornaments that are painted with gold. He is wearing a scholars hat with a half vajra and a peacock feather on top. He holds a vajra in his right hand and a skull cup in his left. Tucked in near his left shoulder is his trademark Khatavanga.

Although a voluminous literature has evolved around the legendary life of Padmasambava, as a historical personage not much is known about him. All that can be said with certainty is that he was an inhabitant of Uddiyana (identified with the present day Swat valley in Pakistan) and was invited to Tibet by King Thisong Detsen (756-97?).

Padmasambhava was renowned as a Tantric priest and was invited specifically to tame the demons., presumably of pre-Buddhist religions, who were obstructing the path of Buddhism in Tibet. Evidently, he accomplished the task and returned to India, but there is no agreement either about the duration of his sojourn in Tibet or about his other accomplishments.

In Tibet Padmasambhava is believed to have had twenty-five disciples. He had two wives who were also disciples, an Indian woman named Mandarawa, and an Tibetan woman named Yeshe Tshogyal, who had been a favorite queen of Thisong Detsen and was given to him by the king.

His two wives can be seen at the bottom layer of the painting, seated on lotus pedestals, paying obeisance to him. To his right is his Indian wife, and to his left is his Tibetan wife.

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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.