The Gracious Mandala Of The Buddha Ratnasambhava

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$795

The mandala is of especial significance in eastern religion and spiritual culture. Geometrically speaking, it is a closed curve that represents the micro- and macro-cosm and serves as a visualisation aid. In Vajrayana Buddhism, each deity comes with their own unique mandala. In traditional works of art such as the thangka that you see on this page, it is seen to emerge from the deity poised at the centre of the composition. It is a skilfully executed painting featuring an expressive colour palette and soothing silhouettes across the silk canvas.

The Buddha Ratnasambhava is one of the five aspects, the Tathagata, that make up the Enlightened One. He is seated at the very centre of the mandala, a resplendent sapphire gathered in His lap. He is clad in robes of red and gold, His halo a deep aquamarine colour. Each aspect of the mandala that surrounds Him - the lines and colours, the motifs and shapes merging and unmerging against each other - bear untold significance in association with Ratnasambhava.

Below the Lord Ratnasambhava mandala is a verdant snatch of the lower Himalayan landscape. Above it is a sky composed of varying shades and tints of blue and delicate wisps of coloured clouds. Together with the Vajrayana deities around the mandala and the mythical creatures on the frame of the painting, these are the common elements of Nepal’s thangka tradition.

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Item Code:	TZ39
Specifications:	Tibetan Thangka Painting
Dimensions	Size - 21.7 inch X 27 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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