The Beautiful Thangka Paintings Of Arunachal Pradesh
Inspired by Landscape of the Soul by Nathalie Trouveroy
Arunachal Pradesh is gifted with traditional craftsmen skills passed on from generations to generations. One can find a multitude of bamboo and cane handicrafts, ornaments, figures of dancers, toys and papers of religious prayers in the Orchid State of India. The native tribal people show magnificent poise in this field. Pottery of Dafla women, wood carving by Khamtis and Wanchos, jewellery made by Bangis and Apatani, etc. are some, to say the least.
This post talks about Thangka Paintings, an art form in which the Monpa tribe excel.
A Thangka, also known as tangka, thanka or tanka, is a painting on cloth. The literal translation of the Tibetan word means ‘recorded message’. It is sometimes called a scroll painting since a completed painting is kept and rolled in scrolls.
Like Tibetan paintings, most paintings made by Monpas have a religious theme. Thangka paintings are a beautiful expression used to convey messages of Buddhist philosophy. Philosophies of Buddhism are depicted through scenes, mandalas and deities.
While appealing to the eye, they are also used for meditative purposes to help further a person down the path of enlightenment. Devotional images act as mediums through which people make offers to the deity, and these paintings can be used as a teaching tool when describing historical events concerning the Lamas or to depict the life of Buddha.
To sketch the figures in a thangka, the painter needs the exact measurements of each deity as established by Buddhist iconography and artistic practice. Even the slightest mistake tarnishes the accuracy and value of a Thangka painting.
One requires a deep understanding of symbolism to capture the essence of the painting. Therefore, the artist must adhere to the strict guidelines laid out in the Buddhist scripture, and must be trained and have sufficient knowledge and understanding to create an appropriate thangka.
