Green Tara with Twenty-One Taras

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Item Code:	TK78
Specifications:	Tibetan Thangka Painting
Dimensions	Size of Painted Surface 14.5 inches X 20.5 inches Size with Brocade 27.0 inches X 36.0 inches

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The Saviouress goddess Tara is a Meditational deity and is the most popular goddess in Buddhist pantheon. 'Tara' the Sanskrit name of the goddess is derived from the root 'tar' (to cross). In other words, Tara helps to cross the Ocean of Existence. The Tibetan translation of 'Tara' is sgrol-ma, which means 'saviouress' or 'deliveress'. The worship of Tara is commonly found throughout Tibet and very much famous in Northern Buddhist countries. There are various legends in regard to the origin of Tara, one of them being that she was born from a ray that shone from the eyes of Amitabha Buddha. Buddhist generally invoke goddess Tara to cross him over, to liberate him or her and in that movement she emerges, the saviouress Tara by name, from the root 'tar' to save, to lead across'. Whosoever chants her name, Tara takes cross, leads over to the yonder shore, to rescue, to rescue the world of the living restless and trembling in the fleeting breeze of transience. Devout Buddhists believe that if human beings utter the name of Tara audibly or inaudibly with sincerity of purpose they may obtain mystical insight and spontaneously acquire the ability for visualizing all mundane problems in their right perspective. There are twenty-one forms of Tara the most popular are Green Tara and White Tara. The Japanese believe that Tara made two vows to conquer evil (as Green Tara) and to save human beings (as White Tara).

This handsome thangka depicts the saviouress goddess Green Tara in the center. She is surrounded with the group of twenty-one Taras. The large central image of Green Tara is seated in lalitasana on a beautiful lotus flower that sprang up in a lake. Her right leg is pendant on a smaller lotus. Her left leg is folded into her lap. Her right hand, gracefully held on her right knee, is in varada mudra of presenting boon and also holding a stem of a lotus flower by thumb and index finger. The left hand is in the attitude of protection with a lotus flower. She has a lovely young face and her body is slim and slender. Her hair is partly upswept in a knot with beautiful decoration on it and falls on her shoulders. She has two compassionate eyes and there is a circle between the eyebrows. Her lips are painted red. She is adorned with exquisitely designed gold ornaments five-lobbed crown, Hoop earrings, necklaces, armlets, bracelets and anklets. Moreover she is wearing a white blouse, flowing silk scarves and dhoti with leggings made of multicolored bands of silk. A red halo and yellow mandorla are behind her. The offerings to the five senses are beautifully depicted below the throne of central image of Green Tara.

The small images of twenty-one Taras surround the central image. These images of Taras are depicted in similar posture and gesture as in the case of central image, except the image, depicted in upper right corner. The complexions of small images of Taras differ from each other. All of them are holding lotus flower in left hands. Their right hands are in the gesture of vara. They are wearing beautiful costumes and ornaments crown, necklaces, earrings, armlets, bracelets, anklets; blouse, flowing scarves, and dhoti with leggings made of multicolored bands of silk. All of them are seated on lotus throne. The images depicted in the background and upper middle ground, are shown in clouds, while the images depicted in lower middle ground and foreground are depicted on a beautiful mountainous landscape with natural vegetation. There is an image of svayambhunath stupa in the foreground. All the images are brilliantly drawn and painted. The painting of twenty-one are considered as very auspicious and powerful thus the present thangka is very much suitable for sadhana and ritual practices.

Select Bibliography

A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962

Ben Meulenbeld, Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thangka, Holland, 2001

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

L. A Waddell, Buddhism and Lamaism of Tibet, Delh1979, (reprint)

Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A.F. Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, Thames and Hudson, 1996

Stephen Beyer, The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet, Berkely, 1973

This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on "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.

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