Padmasambhava as Guru Dragmar

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Item Code:	TN71
Specifications:	Tibetan Thangka Painting
Dimensions	Size of Painted Surface 13.0 inches X 20.5 inches Size with Brocade 23.5 inches X 35.0 inches

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Guru Padmasambhava is shown here as Guru Dragmar. Here he takes the form of the mystic ritual dragger, phurpa. Phurpa symbolizes its unchangeable and indestructible vajra nature. Vajra-flames often emanate along the edge of its blades, as the phurpa is described as blazing with fire from when it is stable in the ten directions. Padmasambhava here holds a vajra in his right hand and a scorpion in the left hand. Elephant and human skin hang from his back. He has Garuda wings which are spread open. His feet take the form of a sharp triangular phurpa which pierce the back of an enemy. A pair of snakes is around his body. He wears a garland of freshly chopped human heads. He has a wrathful face, upturned flowing golden hair, flaming fangs and his beard has been designed in the shape of a screw. He is adorned with skull crown with jewels, earrings, necklace, armlets and bracelets. The figure is surrounded by a flaming aureole. This is perhaps the powerful bold depiction of Padmasambhava as Guru Dragmar.

Padmasambhava was a great Buddhist teacher and tantric master. He was originally from Oddiyana, an ancient country of the North-western region of Indian-subcontinent. It is said that once Amitabha emits a red ray of light that pierce the Dhanakosha Lake in Oddiyana and an immaculate lotus arises from the centre of the of the Lake. King Indrabhuti dispatches his minister to find out the miraculous emanation. The minister finds a child of eight, seated in the lotus, encircled by rainbow auras and dakinis. When the child is brought to the court and the king asks him he replied "my father is wisdom, my mother is voidness. Mine is the country of Dharma." The boy was called Padmasambhava, lotus-born and he was adopted by the king. But later on he left the palace and society and went off to become a Buddha, which he soon accomplished. He then left the monk-hood and became an adept, going around India to meditate in cemeteries and wildernesses.

Padmasambhava was invited to Tibet by the Tibetan king Trisong Detsen (8th century A.D.) on advice of the famous Buddhist acharyaShantarakshita to tame local deities and initiate tantric Buddhist teachings in Tibet. Padmasambhava in collaboration with them founded Samye monastery in the Land of Snow. It is said that he remained fifty years in the country, created monasteries and teaching the Tantra-Yogachara doctrine. He is said to have subdue all the malignant gods, sparing only those that became converted to Buddhism and that promised to be defenders (Dharmapala) of the doctrine. Padmasambhava, in his turn, promised to enroll them in the Mahayana Pantheon and to see that they were properly worshipped. He thus succeeded assimilating parts of local Bon religion into Vajrayana Buddhism. Padmasambhava claimed to have received from the Dakini the books from which he acquired his miraculous powers. He is considered as a major cultural hero of all Tibetans, however his teaching are central in the practice of the Nyingmapa. He founded Lamaism in Tibet. Tibetans call him Guru Rinpoche or Precious Teacher with reverence and consider him as a second Buddha. In course of time Padmasambhava was deified and incarnated into eight forms, one for each of eight important actions he performed during his lifetime.

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.

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