INTRODUCTION TO NEWARI PAUBHA [ पौभा ]
Paubhā (Devanagari: पौभा) is a traditional religious painting made by the Newar people of Nepal. Paubhas depict deities, mandalas or monuments, and are used to help the practitioner meditate. The Tibetan equivalent is known as Thangka. Most paubhas show Buddhist subjects, but a few have Hindu themes. The paintings are made to earn religious merit both for the artist and the patron. Newar Buddhists commission artists to paint paubhas which are displayed during festivals and other special occasions. The traditional painters of paubhas are the Chitrakar caste who are known as Pun (पुं) in Nepal Bhasa.
INTRODUCTION TO THANKA
A thangka, variously spelt as thangka, tangka, thanka, or tanka (Nepali pronunciation: [ˈथान्का]; Tibetan: ཐང་ཀ་; Nepal Bhasa: पौभा), is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. Thangkas are traditionally kept unframed and rolled up when not on display, mounted on a textile backing somewhat in the style of Chinese scroll paintings, with a further silk cover on the front. So treated, thangkas can last a long time, but because of their delicate nature, they have to be kept in dry places where moisture will not affect the quality of the silk.
Most thangkas are relatively small, comparable in size to a Western half-length portrait, but some are extremely large, several metres in each dimension; these were designed to be displayed, typically for very brief periods on a monastery wall, as part of religious festivals. Most thangkas were intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students. They often have elaborate compositions including many very small figures. A central deity is often surrounded by other identified figures in a symmetrical composition. Narrative scenes are less common, but do appear.
He is yellow in color. He belongs to the Buddha family of Jewel. He is placed in the stupa facing to the south. He shows varada mudra with his right hand. He holds cintamani jewel in his left hand kept on his lap. He also represents the purified form of the defilement pride. He rides on the horse throne symbolizing that he ferries over the suffering sentient beings with full vigor. He resides in the pure abode of Ratnavati heaven (buddha field).
It is said that when Ratna Sambhava Buddha attained enlightenment golden colored rays emitted from his crown and manifested limitless golden colored bodhisattvas; each one of them carrying jeweled scepters emitting light shining on the southern worlds, which were numerous as the sands of the Ganges.
It is said that the sentient beings wish would be fulfilled when one sees the golden colored light.
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