Traditional Mandala Art | Manjushri Thangka | Bodhisattva of Wisdom & Compassion
Traditional Mandala Art Nepal with Arya Manjushree in the Center The Tibetan word Thangka means an unfolding painting, where the word Thang stands for an unfolding scroll and Ka means a painting. Thangka paintings, as a whole, are a visual representation of Buddhist deities, scenes, or mandalas, painted on silk or cotton canvas. Thangka Paintings follow a generic principle of composition, design, and iconography. It is made following tradition and guidelines while leaving spaces for personal creativity and expression. In Buddhist culture, Thangka Paintings hold high religious values. In a way, it is also a tool that facilitates the realization of one's true nature or the nature of reality. A mandala depicts in two-dimensional form the three-dimensional space inhabited by the deity. The bird’s-eye-view centralizes the main deity within concentric squares, circles and borders of his associated lineage and related figures, arranged in order of importance. The right hand of Manjushri hold