Cakrasamvara-Vajravarahi, Deities Of The Sri Cakrasamvara Tantra

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$123.75

$165

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The Sri Cakrasamvara Tantra dates back to the late eighth or early ninth century. When the second wave of transmission of Buddhism to Tibet from India took place, the study and practice of this tantra was a thing with the Newar Buddhists of Kathmandu. The thangka that you see on this page, an age-old form of superior fabric painting which is the core of traditional Nepalese visual arts, depicts the Lord Samvara in profound union with Devi Vajravarahi.

Samvara-Vajravarahi are the predominant deities in this tantra. Lord Samvara is wearing a tiger-skin that has slid beneath the loins and an angavastram of sea green colour that floats about the twin figures. But for the gold and pearls that adorn Her limbs, She is naked. The painters have conveyed the composite passion of their conjoined bodies with a lifelike language. With the limbs interlocked and the mouths refusing to tear away, Samvara-Vajravarahi are caught in the throes of a pulsating orgasm.

It is an essentially wrathful composition. An aureole of flames surrounds the central figures. Mythical figures with multiple limbs lie beneath the two feet of Lord Samvara, on the golden pistil of a lotus with multicoloured petals. The milky stream in the foreground and the tempting offerings floating on it, the snow-coated peaks rising in the verdant landscape of the background, and the wisps of pristine cloud are motifs that are integral to the thangka.

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Item Code:	ZE31
Specifications:	Tibetan Buddhist Thangka Painting
Dimensions	Size of Painted Surface - 14.5 inch X 20 inch Size with Brocade - 24 inch X 34.5 inch

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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.

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