Yamantaka Ekavira

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Yamantaka is also known as Vajrabhairava, 'Adamantine Anger'. It is said that this form of Yamantaka has associations with the Brahmanical deity Mahabhairava, a special form of lord Shiva, who in this form destroys the universe at the end of the eon. The Buddhist Yamantaka tantras combine aspects of both deities (Yama and Shiva) into the cult of Vajrabhairava-Yamantaka, in Tibetan Buddhism.

Iconographically Yamantaka has many forms; the present form of Yamantaka is called Yamantaka Ekavira, Ekavira means, 'solitary hero', in this form Yamantaka does not embrace his consort. Here yellow complexioned Yamantaka Ekavira has nine faces, three on each side of the main head and one above it, each with three eyes. The main head is that of a fierce buffalo with horns. The topmost head is of Manjushri. The eight wrathful heads wear skull crowns, and their hair rises upwards, signifying the deity's enlightenment. Yamantaka wears an elephant-skin cloak, a garland of freshly cut human heads, and bone ornaments. He is naked except for his adornments. He is naked except for his adornments. He is naked except for his adornments. He has thirty-four arms. The two main arms hold a cranium and vajra marked chopper. His remaining hands hold tantra symbols. His each arm with attributes fights for his devotees to evil beings. Yamantaka has sixteen legs, eight on each side. Lying face down under his bent right legs are one human male and six animals that one human male and six animals that are, in turn, stepping on four devas. Under his outstretched left legs, eight birds are also stepping on four devas. There is wisdom fire aureole behind him.

The upper corners are filled with cloud formations. The lower middle ground and foreground depicts rocks, lakes and natural vegetation. The painting is very much suitable for sadhana and practices of Yamantaka Ekavira.

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

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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.