Thangka refers to religious scroll paintings framed with colored satin and hung for worship. It is a unique painting art form in Tibetan culture. The value of this kind of painting art is not only reflected in religion, but also has a great relationship with history and economy. So, next, let us learn more about Thangka in "Introduction to Buddhism".
Introduction to Thangka:
Thangka (Thang-ga) is also called Tangga, Thangka, which is a Tibetan transliteration and refers to being framed with colored satin Religious scroll paintings are hung behind. Thangka is a unique painting art form in Tibetan culture. The subject matter involves Tibetan history, culture, social life and many other fields. Most of the Thangkas handed down from generation to generation are works of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon Buddhism.
Thangka is a unique painting art form in Tibetan culture. It has distinctive national characteristics, rich religious color and unique artistic style, using bright colors to depict the sacred world of Buddha; the pigments are traditionally all made of gold, silver, pearls, agate, coral, turquoise, malachite and cinnabar. Precious mineral gems and plants such as saffron, rhubarb, and indigo are used as pigments to show their sacredness. These natural raw materials ensure that the painted thangkas are bright and dazzling. Even after hundreds of years, the color is still bright and bright. .Therefore, it is known as a treasure of Chinese national painting art, known as the "Encyclopedia" of Tibet, and is also a precious intangible cultural heritage in Chinese folk art.
The drawing of Thangka has strict requirements and extremely complicated procedures. It must be carried out in accordance with the rituals in the scriptures and the requirements of the master, including pre-painting rituals, making canvas, drafting the composition, coloring and dyeing, and finalizing the outlines. , laying gold and silver, opening eyes, sewing, mounting and lighting, etc. A complete set of process procedures. It takes a long time to make a thangka, ranging from half a year to more than ten years.
Value and significance:
1. Historical value:
Some thangkas are based on historical facts and focus on showing major events and activities in history. Such as historical themes showing Songtsen Gampo's life and achievements. Among them, works that eulogize the friendship between Tibetan and Han people, such as the story of Princess Wencheng’s entry into Tibet, will be painted in prominent locations in the temple. The picture depicts the historical events of the marriage between Tang and Tibetan in the 15th year of Zhenguan through scenes such as the Tang Dynasty's marriage proposal, the five-difficulty marriage envoy, and the princess's entry into Tibet.
The celebration pictures in the Jokhang Temple and the Potala Palace reproduce the welcoming scene of the Tubo people in festive costumes, singing and dancing when Princess Wencheng arrived in Luosuo. In the Xipingcuo Hall of the Red Division of the Potala Palace, there is a picture of the Fifth Dynasty’s visit to Shunzhi, which describes the various activities and welcome events of the Fifth Dynasty’s visit to Beijing, audience, entertainment and other events in 1652 AD.