Thangkas are the composite things created by painters and tailors with differing skills and training. Its an intergral part of a rich heritage of Indian Paintings.sThe imagery of these paintings
revolves around the life of Buddha and themes
pertaining to the mystic sect of Buddhism i.e. Tantric Buddhism. These paintings are painted on silk or cotton using various bright colors of differnt hues.These are a novel quality work of art hand painted by trained Tibetan and Nepali artists.They are predominantly used for wall hangings.In India Ladakh is a region where thangka paintings are done with great elan, while it also practiced in Sikkim
and Himachal Pradesh. These paintings have
a strong Tibetan influence and have ritual
connotations. These wall hangings arae hung in monasteries most
often Generally Thangka paintings are divided into two broad categories: those which are painted (called bris-than in Tibetan) and those which are made of silk either by weaving or with embroidery (called gos-than). The painted thanka are further divided into five categories depending on differing colors of the background.
Thankas can be traced in a huge variety of styles, depicting various subjects. Colorful thanka paintings generally represent Buddhist and Hindu Gods, Goddesses, meditating Buddha and his life cycle, Wheel of Life, Mandala, Bhairab, Exotic pictures, etc.Generally two basic types of thanka paintings are available, Tibetan style and Newari style (Paubha).
Bright vegetable
and mineral pigments are used in thangka paintings
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