Padmasambhava as King Loden-chogsay (The Eight Manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

King Loden Chogsay is one of the eight major forms of Padmasambhava. It is said that Guru Rinpoche took this form as the conveyor of knowledge to all worlds. Here he is seated slightly turned in royal ease posture. He holds a mirror in his right hand and a cranium in his left hand. A phurpa is tied on his stomach. His face is slightly wrathful in appearance. King Loden Chogsay is adorned with beautiful crown, earrings and necklaces, painted in gold. He wears a beautiful red robe with a white outer cloak and flowing scarves. The robes are decorated with beautiful motifs in gold. There is a pink halo behind his head. His throne back is encircled with flowers, leaves, fruits and clouds etc. Perhaps one of his consorts is standing with an offering on the right of king's throne. The auspicious offerings are before the throne of king Loden Chogsay.

On the top center, probably a Nyingma lama is seated in clouds, who is holding a staff. A meditative lama is shown under a tree in upper right corner, one lama is shown in the middle ground of right side, and two more lamas are depicted in the bottom corners. These are all among the twenty-five main disciples Padmasambhava's. This work is executed in a distinctive stylistic idiom. The green landscape, hills, lake, rocks, trees, and clouds are executively drawn and painted. The painting is very much attractive, and suitable for sadhana.

References:

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

L.A. Waddell, Buddhism & Lamaism of Tibet, New Delhi, 1979 (reprint)

M.M. Rhie & R.A.F. Thurman, World of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1999

This description by Dr. Shailendra Kumar Verma, Ph.D. His doctorate thesis being on the "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

Free Shipping. Delivered by to all international destinations within 3 to 5 days, fully insured.

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.