Shrishtikanta Lokeshvara (Avalokiteshvara as Creator)

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The image of Avalokiteshvara in the present painting has feminine appearances, which remind his female form in China, Korea, and Japan. He has different forms and epithets. Here he takes a unique form, Shrishtikanta Lokeshvara, 'Beautiful Creation Lord of the world.' Avalokiteshvara emanates the entire Brahmanical pantheon, especially the Dikpalas, for the benefit of all beings out of his universal compassion.

Shrishtikanta is standing gracefully in tribhanga posture on a moon disk on a lotus seat. His face is oval and very sweet looking. His compassionate eyes are open to see the sufferings of humankind and to help all and illuminate all with the light of wisdom. He is the great compassion and boundless wisdom. He displays here the varada pose with his right hand, while his left hand rests near his navel and holds a long stem of a lotus flower. His hair is partly upswept in a beautiful knot and partly tendrils on his shoulders. He has a seven-jewel crown and jeweled decoration. He wears a beautiful blouse like skirt, a flowing long green silk scarf, exquisitely designed necklaces with gemstone, a necklace of snake, armlets, bracelets and anklets. An antelope skin is over his left shoulder with the antelope's head on his left breast, this symbolizes compassion. Moreover he wears a blue brocade skirt, and silk leggings made of multicolored band of silk. A green halo with outer rim and an oval-shaped aureole with yellow outer rim, decorated with gemstone, are behind him. The auspicious offerings are beautifully rendered in the bottom center.

A large number of four-armed deities seated on clouds platforms surround his aureole, the deities are supposed to emanate from his various parts of his body. Amitahba Buddha is seated over his halo. The fourteen deities that emanates from Shrishtikanta include the Sun (Surya) and Moon god Chandra, the ten world protectors (Dikpalas), Hayagriva Bhairava, Naga and also the Brahmanical deities Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Sarasvati and Lakshmi. But all these deities do not exactly conforms to the textual sources, a later Buddhist text, the Karanda Vyuha gives the followeing emanations emerging from various parts of Avalokiteshvara, body:

1. Maheshvara (Shiva) from his head

2. Chandra from his left eye

3. Surya from his right eye

4. Brahma from his shoulders

5. Vishnu from his heart

6. Sarasvati from his teeth

7. Vayu from his mouth

8. Agni from his navel

9. Varuna from his stomach

10.Lakshmi from his Knees

11.Prithvi from his feet.

It is further mentioned in the above text that Avalokiteshvara said to Mahadeva, "you shall be Maheshvara when the Kali age arises. You shall be called the primal god (adideva), creator and maker." It is also said that the Shrishtikanta is also the creator of the eight Mahasiddha of the Charnel grounds.

The present painting is indeed very unique and rare as very few such types of paintings are generally found in the art mart, particularly the painting of Shrishtikanta. All the figures, especially of Shrishtikanta are brilliantly drawn and pained.

Select Bibliography

A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962

B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography,Calcutta, 1968

Ben Meulenbeld, Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thangka, Holland, 2001

Hugo E. Kreijger, Kathmandu Valley Painting: The Jucker Collecion, London, 1999

J.C. Huntington and D. Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, Ohio, 2004

This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)".

Click Here to View the Thangka Painting along with its Brocade

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Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas

A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha, various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet. Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.

The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.

After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then outlined with black ink.

Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black, green, yellow, etc.

In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification, thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other ordinary paintings.

Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front, and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.