Buddhist art portrays most faithfully all the significant stages in the history of Buddhism. Statues of the Buddha have always been historically important artistic, religious, and social symbols. Every notion of Buddhism, whether its iconographic features, literary evidence or deities of different types, have a perfect description and a reason behind. The symbols serve as signs of Buddha\'s teachings, good fortune, inner peace, and the motivating force that should be present in every human being. The messages learnt through them have been taught in different parts of the world for many centuries, but still continue to serve as a source of strength and motivation.
From the earliest artistic depictions of Bharhut, Sanchi, Amaravati, Nagajunkonda, and the marvelous statues of Gandhara and Mathura, Buddhist art has translated the wisdom of the Buddha into stone and metal. Condensing his immeasurable virtues and venerable life in art, sculptures of the Buddha offer a chance to the followers of Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, to witness the aura of the Enlightened One, and be guarded by his light to the supreme brilliance of Bodhi.
A Thangka, diversely referred to as Thangka, Tangka, Thanka, or Tanka, is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. Thangka is also known as scroll painting. Roughly translating to “recorded message” in Tibetan, it is an ancient form of Buddhist art that originated within Tibet around the 11th century. These are densely illustrative, and painstakingly detailed, and serve as a striking centrepiece that can be appreciated by all admirers of Asian art.
Buddhist thangka paintings are visually captivating and impressive — but there is more to them than meets the eye. Thangkas often focus on a specific deity and scene, and their form and surrounding details are often rich with symbolism, turning them into a medium for religious storytelling. Because of this, extracting all the intricacies and meanings from the paintings requires training. Tibetan thangkas were originally created for the purpose of helping the viewer or Buddhist practitioner on his journey to enlightenment. A thangka\'s characteristics like organization and juxtaposition of figures, repetition of figures, and size contribute to the storytelling of the painting.
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