Thangkas are paintings on cloths with religious significations. It originated in the 10th century in Tibet. In Tibetan terminology, 'than' means 'flat' and 'ka' means 'painting'. So, Thangkas are a kind of painting done on a flat surface but can be rolled up when required. Consequently, they are also known as scroll painting. Ceremonious processions, wall hangings in monasteries and family altar are the places where we find the usage of Thangkas. Thangkas bear the testimony of the culture, religion, arts, history, painting in Buddhist society. They are also used for decorative purposes now-a-days.
Usually, Thangkas of Arunachal Pradesh have a symmetrical structure. Buddha is the prominent figure in most of the Thangkas, surrounded by other figures. Thangkas are the most effective teaching tools in monasteries with pictures of life-cycles of Buddha, other influential lamas and most importantly, the essence of The Wheel Of Life. Thangkas abound in allusions, symbolisms and implications and in decoding these tangles lies the teachings of Buddhism. So Thangkas prove to the sine-qua-non of the Art of Enlightenment.
The Arunachal Pradesh Thangkas are hand made copies of old works based of rituals and visions. The painting is done on cotton canvas. They are highly geometrical, laid on systematic grid of angles. The painters use herbs and minerals as the raw materials. Thangkas are composite three dimensional object comprised of the following parts:
- A picture panel, either painted or embroidered.
- A textile mounting.
- A silk cover.
- Leather corner.
- Metal or decorative knobs.
