Thangka

(थंका)

Literal Meaning

A rolled picture

Etymology & Sanskrit Root

Tibetan thang ka: a painted scroll.

Spiritual Insight & Context

A painted or appliqué sacred scroll of Tibetan Buddhism, hung in monasteries and used in teaching and meditation.

Where Thangka Comes Up

Hemis Festival: The Masked Dances of Ladakh

The Hemis Festival marks Guru Padmasambhava's birth anniversary with masked cham dances. This article sets out the festival, what the dances mean, and the twelve-year thangka.

Topics

Tabo and Hemis: Sacred Himalayan Monasteries

Tabo in Spiti, founded in 996 CE and called the Ajanta of the Himalayas, and Hemis in Ladakh preserve over a millennium of living Vajrayana Buddhist practice.

Sacred Places