Sahasrabhuja Avalokiteshvara Mandala

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

There are several legends of the origins of the Ekadashamukha Avalokiteshvara. According to one version, Avalokiteshvara managed to empty the hells and ensure that there was potential salvation for everyone. Enthused, he reported this to his spiritual father, Amitabha, who told him to take a look behind himself. Almost instantly the underworlds began filling up again with new sinners who had not escaped from samsara. Sinking into despair, Avalokiteshvara wept so pitifully that his head burnt. Amitabha attempted to assemble the pieces but did not entirely succeed. He supplemented the pieces to make nine complete faces, each with gentle expression. Above this he place3d the blue demonic head of Mahakala that functions to ward off evil, and at the very top, for protection, his own head.

Four of Sahasrabhuja's eight main arms are identical to Shadakshari Lokeshvara's attributes and gesture. His right hands are in vara-mudra, the gesture of granting boon, and hold the Dharmachakra, the wheel of the teachings. His left hands hold a bow and arrow to symbolize keeping dangers and temptations at a distance, and a kalasha, or water jug, containing the nectar of immortality, amrita, which is a symbol of the deathlessness of nirvana. His 992 other arms are drawn and painted like an aureole of the Bodhisattva. The concept of thousand arms Avalokiteshvara corresponds to the essence of the Thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa. The eyes located in palms of all the hands means that nobody escapes Avalokiteshvara's great compassion.

In the thangka Avalokiteshvara is standing on moon disk on lotus in the centre of the mandala. The mandala rests on crossed vajra, has an outer circle of fire protecting the inner residence, which is stylistically rendered here. Thereafter is the circle of vajra which is also stylistically rendered and inside this is the circle of lotus petals. The area inside the lotus circle and outside the square is decorated with floral motifs in green. The square within the circle represents the building, in the centre of which lives the deities, here thousand armed Avalokiteshvara is standing. The four gateways of the building are in cardinal directions and over the gateways are in building in which lives the protector deities. Outside the inner circle, there is a square divided into four triangles which are decorated with stylized designs. The walls of the building are also decorated with floral and geometric designs.

Above the mandala Amitabha Buddha is seated on a throne in the centre, in cloud with rainbow light. Cosmic Buddha Ratnasambhava is seated on lotus throne in upper left corner in cloud, while Dhyani Buddha Amoghasiddhi is present in the upper right corner in cloud.

At the bottom, Blue Buddha is seated in lower left corner, while the Buddha Vairochana is seated in the lower right corner. All the figures are brilliantly drawn and painted; the color-combination is also excellent.

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

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.