Dharmapala Thangka CentreSchool of Thangka Painting

This Mandala shows the fourarmed Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Shadakshari holding rosary, lotus and the wishfulling gem in center

Here the four-armed Shadakshari Avalokiteshvara is present together with scenes of the 8 dangers, from which Avalokiteshvara is the saviour. Each scene, graphically & engagingly illustrated, is specifically accompanied by a standing Bodhisattva. In clockwise order from the upper right scenes show rescue from:

The three deities on the central axis, Vajradhara above, Shadakshari in the center, & Padmasambhava below, represents the Truth, Beatific, & Emanation Bodies of Buddhahood. A pair of standing Bodhisattvas holding blossoming lotus flowers attend the main image on the left & right side.

This is a stunning example of a red-ground Thangka with generous usage of gold & touches of yellow, orange, blue & white. The mountainous landscape, waterfalls, trees, & houses, all drawn with striking realism & perfection, seem to exist in a strange re world made all the more interesting & intense by the gold.

Copy of an antique painting:
Central Regions, Tibet or Eastern Tibet, 17^th century

Thangka, gouache & gold on cotton, 35.5 x 24.1 "

Private collection Source: "Wisdom & compassion – The sacred art of Tibet from Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A. F. Thurman in sociation with Harry N. Abrahams, Inc., Publisher", p. 421.