Painting

All Surviving Illustrated Manuscripts, Whether Buddhist Or Hindu, Are Illustrated With Hieratic Images Of Gods And Goddesses. A Large Number Of Manuscripts Are Devoted To The Principal Events From The Life Of Buddha Or The Hieratic Representations Of Vajrayana Deities, Which Bear Little Relation To The Text.

Manuscripts Continued To Be Painted And Copied For Centuries, For The Act Of Donating A Manuscript To A Monk, Priest, Monastery Was Considered By Sikkim People To Be An Act Of Great Virtue. Early Illustrated Manuscripts Were Executed In The Same Basic Style.

Religious Paintings Worshipped As Icons Are Known As Thangka In Tibetan. The Origin Of Thangka Paintings May Be Attributed As Early As The Ninth Or Tenth Century. To Better Fulfil The Ever-Increasing Demand, Artists Initiated A New Type Of Religious Painting On Cloth That Could Be Easily Rolled Up And Carried Along With Them. This Type Of Painting Became Very Popular Both And Has Remained Popular To This Day. Earlier Thankas Are Simple In Design And Composition. The Main Deity, A Large Figure, Occupies The Central Position While Surrounded By Smaller Figures. Other Example are

Sikkim Is Heavily Influenced By Tibet And Its Culture. Most Of The People In Sikkim Have Direct Origins From Tibet And Have Migrated To India In The Last 100 Years And More.

Tibetan Architecture

Tibetan Architecture Is One Of The Most Simple, Colorful And Splendid Form Of Art. Its Simplicity Brings Out The Temperament And Character Of The Lives And People Of The Place. For Example, The Buddhist Prayer Wheel, Along With Two Dragons, Can Be Seen On Nearly Every Temple In Sikkim. Many Of The Houses And Monasteries Are Typically Built On Elevated, Sunny Sites Facing The South. Rocks, Wood, Cement And Earth Are The Primary Building Materials. Flat Roofs Are Built To Conserve Heat And Multiple Windows Are Constructed To Let In The Sunlight. Due To Frequent Earthquakes, Walls Are Usually Sloped Inward At 10 Degrees. For Instance Hand-Carved Pillar Of Tibetology, Rabdentse Ruins Of The 17th Century Etc.

Furniture From Tibet Has Always Been Quite Rare. Except For The Wealthy, Tibetans Used Very Little Furniture In Their Homes Made Primarily From Pine And Other Himalayan Soft Woods, It Is Noted More For Its Sometimes Lavishly Painted Surface And/Or Carved Decoration Than For Its Joinery.

Tibetan Motifs & Symbols

The Eight Buddhist Auspicious Symbols Consist Of – A Parasol, Pair Of Golden Fish, The Great Treasure Vase, A Lotus, The Right Turning Conch, The Endless Knot, The Banner Of Victory And The Wheel Of Dharma. These Originated From A Group Of Early Indian Symbols Of Royalty Which Were Presented At Special Ceremonies Such As The Coronation Of A King. The Symbols Differed Between Different Groups, For Example The Jains And Newar Buddhists. In Buddhism These Symbols Of Good Fortune Represent The Offerings That Were Made By The Gods To Shakyamuni Buddha Immediately After He Attained Enlightenment. Brahma Appeared Offering The Thousand Spooked Golden Wheel As A Request To Shakyamuni To Turn The Teaching Wheel Of Dharma. Indra Appeared Presenting The Right Spiraling Conch Shell As A Symbol Of The Proclamation Of The Dharma And Sthavara Presented The Golden Vase Full Of The Nectar Of Immortality.

The Chorten Stupa Are One Of The Finest Examples Of The Stupa, This Style Is Purely Buddhist And Execution. The Outstanding Feature Of The Stupa Is Hemispherical Mound Topped By A Square Base Supporting.