Dharmapala Thangka CentreSchool of Thangka Painting


Please compare the quality of our art

Difference between standard and Dharmapala Thangkas

1. Refuge Tree 2. Lama on throne 3. Buddha's Nirvana 4. Single Buddha 5. Clouds 6. Cosmos Mandala 7. Buddha with stupa  8. Lama 9. Buddha's Halo 10. Temple  11. Shading of background  12. Mahakala 13. Avalokiteshvara  14

Nowadays most Tibetan Thangkas are made in India or Nepal. The vast majority of these scroll paintings are sold to tourists who do not usually have much understanding of this art form. Because they are only rarely willing to pay a higher price for a painting, many thangkas today are made in a very poor quality. It often takes only one or two weeks to finish a painting of this type.

The artists of the Dharmapala Centre create their paintings with the greatest devotion and skill. To paint even the smallest Mandala [30 x 30 cm = 12 " inches x 12 " inches] takes the artist a minimum of one month. There are some paintings published on our Website which required nearly two years to complete!

To help you recognise the difference between the two categories, we have provided some examples of image segments that are comparable in content.