Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Ushnishasitatapattra

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Ushnishasitapattra, a Buddhist goddess venerated especially by monks of Ganden-Pa, an order of Tibetan Buddhism, is best understood as the female form of Avalokiteshvara. Her greatly complex iconography, which some argue is the most complex of the multifaceted iconography prevalent in Buddhism, has been expressed with skilful perfection in this gorgeous thangka from the Exotic India collection. The soothing pastels of the landscape motifs in the background - the deep blue skies studded with celestial bodies, the mounds of greenery laden earth, and the gorgeous colours of each stem and petal of the gigantic roses that flank the Goddess - set off to perfection Her flaming aureole and Her imposing figure.

Ushnishasitapattra is revered by many to be a special, intense form of the more popular Goddess Tara. She has the same classical beauty of countenance, characteristically lengthy earlobes that are a sign of divine wisdom, and immortally pristine skin; while on the contrary She has a thousand each of heads and both limbs. Deities with multiple heads and/or numberless arms are not uncommon in religious iconography of the East, but Ushnishasitapattra is portrayed with as many legs as She has arms and heads. Each of Her heads is replete with three eyes, the additional one being obviously centred on the brow, while an eye graces each of Her forearms and palms as well.

In her numberless arms She holds conchs, jewels, and ritual implements that double as weapons. She is decked up in gracious golds all over: chunky armlets and wristlets and anklets on each of Her limbs, large bejewelled hoops hanging down Her lobes, and a clutch of gold neckpieces that reach all the way down to Her slender waist. From underneath Her studded gold crown set with blushing lotuses cascades her wondrous blue hair and spreads about her delicately curved shoulders. The train of her skirts and the profusion of scarves around Her figure are indicative of heavenly abundance.

She crushes a myriad of mortals beneath Her thousand feet, which is symbolic of how the Goddess Ushnishasitapattra is adept at conquering the individual human ego. Atop Her thousand heads is a parasol that gives away Her protective instinct when it comes to the fear in the hearts of Her devotees. On the top portion of the thangka She is flanked by Shakyamuni Himself, replete with the bhumisparsha mudra (earth-touching gesture) and a bejewelled aureole whose pastel-coloured studs complement the soothing colour the halo is done in; and Green Tara Herself who is also floating amidst the clouds on a brightly hued lotus. Beneath Ushnishasitapattra's feet are three figures of two-armed Dandapani Mahakala, which is a wrathful form of the peaceful Avalokiteshvara Himself. Each Mahakala figure has been painted atop a lotus, with ignorant mortals suffering under His feet. His ferocious countenance and flaming background are in stark contrast to the graceful depiction of Ushnishasitapattra.

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.