What is Thangka Painting?

Tibetan Thangka Paintings are old form of Tibetan Buddhist fine art that portrays the Wheel of Life, images of the Buddha life, other Buddhist deities, and mandalas. One of the most special parts of Thangkas is that deities should be duplicated in accurate proportions. It is accepted that during prayer, gods can possess the Thangkas, and thus the painting should be of the utmost beauty. 

It is accepted that the sacred art form prospered around 1000 years back in Tibet as a combination of Nepalese and Tibetan traditions. Amitabha Buddha is the earliest Nepalese Thangka painting, which shows surrounded by Bodhisattva. 

It is significant that the painter is Tibetan Buddhist, in light of the fact that “the painter must have great inspiration” when painting the thangka with the goal for it to be considered “acceptable”. Thangkas made by the high-ranking lamas is generally viewed as a more excellent and significant piece of folk art than those painted by other artisans because of their immediate religious connection.

As far as the canvas size are concerned,  Tibetan Thangkas can be found in an assortment of sizes, going from not exactly a foot in tallness to a few meters, however, the normal thangka is a few feet in stature and width. Thangka painters are typically Tibetan Buddhists who go through studying the art for six long years, although all monks are trained in Thanka painting as well.