The thangka is more than a painting. Sure, it is all
homegrown fabric canvas and traditional pigments, framed in brocade and meant
to be hung on the wall like a run-of-the-mill painting. However it is a work of
great dharmic devotion as much as it is one of skill. It is the Newaris of
Nepal, most of whom reside in the Kathmandu Valley and speak a Sanskrit-nishtha
language, who paint these thangkas. Each thangka is a singular work of art that
takes months to be finished, that also by a group of monks. One must have
perfected the plethora of Buddhist symbols and motifs prior to composing one
and leading the group that devotes itself to the thangka in question. The work
that you see on this page is one such example of this endemic spiritual art, a
work that is unique and powerful.
Usually, the central motif that constitutes the theme of the
thangka is painted by the most experienced monk that leads the group. The
symbols and motifs that complete the painting - the fire-wielding snake-dragons
and other fauna included here, clouds, leaves, mountains, and rivulets - are
done under his supervision by the junior monks. Seated Shiva and Parvati are leaning
against each other, steeped in conversation. Solemn and gathered, their divine
stance befits the luxuriance of this thangka. Statement-making jewel tones, a
dusky black backdrop, the lush Himalayan landscape, this thangka is the very
image of Kailash Mansarovar, the home of Shiva-Parvati
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