The art of Thanka Painting is very old and has been practived from the 3rd century BC in Tibet. The word "Thanka" is estimated to have derived from the Tibetan word "thang yig" meaning a written record. Thankas are fine paintings that are made with great care and concentration all by hands. The tradition was not only inside Tibet and the Tibetan community it soon spread to those who adopted Tibetan Buddhism learned this wonderful art so Thakali, Sherpas, Tamangs, Yolmos, Manangeys and Newars started creating the beauty. According to religious culture, Thanka can be stored at room sanctifies worship with holy water mumbling mantras to animate Thankas mystical power and puts kada or khata(two feet long silk cloth) on it. Since then, the devout use to divest its head before it at the time of worship especially in the morning. These paintings are generally colored part Buddhist and Hindu Gods, Goddess, meditating Buddha and its life cycle, Wheel of Life, Mandala, Bhairab, Tara, Exotic photos, etc.
As Thanka ritual paintings are most people have never considered the Thankas as decorative object. But nowadays Thankas are gaining popularity as a decorative element throughout the world. Usually painted on cotton cloth, more rarely on silk, colors are traditionally made from mineral and vegetable dyes, but now a day Tibetan artists also use modern synthetic dyes, silver and gold for better presentation.
Our Thanka Art Gallery has the best collection of Newari and Tibetan Pancha Thanka Paintings for Online Sale.
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The five Great Buddhas of Wisdom are of uncertain origin. All the five Dhyani Buddhas are said to have originated from Vajrasattva himself. But it needs to be appreciated here, that though they have all sprung from the same spiritual father, these Buddhas nevertheless have important physical differences. For example, each displays a different hand mudra, is associated with a different direction, rides a different animal, denotes a particular moment in the life of the historical Buddha, and has a different color.
The last is a unique contribution to the aesthetic heritage which is shared by all humanity. Indeed, the link between our negative emotions and the positive qualities into which the Dhyani Buddhas transform them can be illustrated most directly through the medium and experience of color. It is well known that changing the color of our surroundings can have a profound effect on our state of mind. Color also expresses our emotions, as when we say that we are green with envy or feeling blue. Color is logically thus one of the significant means through which Buddhist art gives a tangible form to human emotions and nowhere is this more explicitly displayed than in the typical iconography of the five Dhyani Buddhas.
Each of the five Buddhas first identifies a specific human failing and then helps us in transforming it into a positive attribute, bringing about the spiritual evolution required for enlightenment. How they inspire us to achieve this transition through their traditional iconography is discussed below.
The five Pancha Buddhas are:
- Vairochana
- Akshobhya
- Ratnasambhava
- Amitabha
- Amoghasiddhi
All the Buddhas of Pancha Buddha family is shown in their gesture. Vairochana in Dharmachakra Mudra (Dharma Wheel Teaching Gesture), Akshobhya in Bhumisparsha Mudra (Earth Touching Gesture), Ratnasambhava in Varada Mudra (Bestowing Gesture), Amitabha in Dhyana Mudra (Meditation Gesture) and Amoghasiddhi in Abhaya Mudra (Fearlessness Gesture).
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