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Welcome to Handmade Handicraft
At Handmade Handicraft, we prioritize simplicity, reflected in our user-friendly website design. We have streamlined the process so everything you need is just a click away.
While our website does not support online shopping, we've incorporated a convenient shopping cart system to assist you in sending us your inquiries. Please note, we do not process payments on our site. All transactions will be handled via email, respecting the inquiries you submit.
Should you encounter any issues while submitting your inquiries, please contact us via mobile app, email, or follow the procedure outlined below. We've provided documentation to guide you through the selection process.
Good selecting Procedure
In every product you will find Order Now and Quick Inquiry buttons, they are the two process of sending us your enquiry.
For Business ordering standard quantity
This website has been designed to incorporate retail and wholesale pricing in one place. You can increase or decrease the quantity based on which you will be provided with suitable prices instantly.
For Business ordering Bluk quantity [Above 100 pcs]
This is not a direct shopping website. So no payments are needed for placing an order. Please feel free to send us an order for the product you are interested in, mentioning the approximate quantity. Based on which we will send you a wholesale price quotation.
White Tara
White Tara is a revered figure in Buddhist mythology, often depicted as a compassionate and serene goddess. She embodies peace and emanates loving compassion, bringing grace and dignity to various situations. White Tara's presence encourages the emergence of goodness and positive outcomes in all circumstances. She upholds the Four Measureless States, which include Loving Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity, encompassing past, present, and future circumstances. Additionally, White Tara is associated with the bestowing of longevity, symbolizing a long and healthy life. Her essence embodies the ideals of compassion and benevolence, making her a significant figure in Buddhist worship and spiritual practices.
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Iconography Sita Tara, popularly known as White Tara. She has emanated from Avalokiteshvara & in the Nepali Transcendent Buddha tradition is the consort of Vairochana, the central Transcendent Buddha. Her inner virtue of loving compassion is magnified by the simplicity of her presentation. White Tara is an important Vajrayana Buddhist figure since she embodies the principle of loving kindness, which is the central quality in the altruistic Bodhisattva presented through Mahayana Buddhism. Her main emblem is the Pink Lotus [Skt. Kamala] representing this main quality.
Her left hand is gracefully lowered in an empty open palm boon granting gesture [Skt. Varada Mudra]. White Tara has a blooming pink lotus & an unopened bud on either side of her body. The lotus in the painting is stylised as a peony & a chrysanthemum to provide artistic contrast with her lotus throne. The open blossom represents the present and the bud represents the future situations & Buddhas yet to be born. The future also refers to beneficial changes circumstances that she will help bring about. Her right hand wisdom hand is in the gesture of giving refuge [Skt. Sharanagamana]. The word refuge refers to the teaching of compassionate understanding which she imparts. The third finger touches the thumb to create a circle representing the union of wisdom and compassion, and the three extended fingers symbolise the Three Jewels of Buddhism A. The Buddha State B. The Body of teachings [Skt. Sangha] C. The Principles of the Universal form [Skt. Dharma]. The same hand holds the stem of a blue lotus [Skt. Utpala] representing change. The lower part of the stem below the bend represents the root of the lotus in the mud. The allegory of the Lotus refers to the something that grows from the obscurity of the mud & which eventually bursts open in the light. The lotus journey is one of inner awakening & enlightenment analogous to the human spirit. Buddhism shows us how to grow towards the light with profound teachings which help us to navigate away from burdens and sufferings which we may have by being materially minded, bitter & confused.
There is a lotus on her diadem bearing the Wish Granting Gem [Skt. Chintamani] surrounded by an aureole of fire symbolising auspicious blessings. The extra eye on her forehead, on the palms of her hands & soles of her feet represent her ability to see and understand the sufferings of all beings & her omniscient compassion toward the suffering. Avalokiteshvara [Tib. Chengresi] her progenitor also has a white body & extra eyes. The eyes denote psychic & supernatural power. The rainbow coloured leggings represent a mastery of Boddhi Nature [Skt. Siddhi] & a manifestation of the Sambhogakaya. The dark blue layer of clothing signifies Mantrayana practice. She is upon a white moon disk & has an orange sun aureole to representing her emanation their melting point [Skt. Nada]. There is a branch of an Ashoka Tree in the foreground. The word Ashoka means 'without sorrow' in other words she has no regrets about her behaviour. The tree linked to the Vedic God of love & sexual union Kamadeva which blossoms when a virtuous lady touches it. The triangular diamond rock formation in the foreground represents the Source of Reality [Skt. Dharmadaya] out of which deities arise & which is generated from emptiness by the seed syllable E. In the Indian language is a Triangular shaped letter D & so expressed in the triangular rock formations.
Commentary
Tara's are difficult to place being neither Deity nor Dakini. Tara's are commonly described as female emanations and aides of Buddhas. Deities tend to have consorts with whom they are having sexual intercourse. She has a special association with the Pink lotus which represents the arising of wisdom from the obscure depths of the mud and the flowering of the awoken wisdom. The mud symbolised the primeval state. As with the other emanations of Tara, she has come into being from the teardrop of Avalokateshwara the great Bodhisattva of compassion.
Thangka Brocade : Why to Brocade a Thangka
Silk brocading is a process of framing a Thangka in traditional Tibetan style. The frame is made of beautiful silk fabric having rich colors and patterns. Brocade can be added to any Thangka painting upon request. The diagram to the right (click the image for a larger view) shows the different components of a typical brocade frame.
The silk fabric protects the edges of the Thangka, and also makes it easier to hang. A thin silk cover protects the painting when rolled, and may be gathered up to display the painting when hung on the wall. It is generally thought that silk brocade renders a Thangka more attractive and more religious.
The technique of silk brocading was first developed around the 9th century AD as a way to protect paintings during transport across the treacherous Himalayan mountains. Nepalese artists, seeking to meet the exploding demand for Buddhist art in Tibet, developed Thangka techniques so that paintings could be easily rolled and carried in large numbers. Due to these clever techniques, Buddhists throughout the Himalayan region were able to obtain beautiful supports for their practice.
How to Roll a Thangka
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Introduction to Thangka
A thangka, also known as tangka, thanka, or tanka, is a vibrant and intricate Tibetan Buddhist painting that serves as a visual representation of spiritual teachings. Crafted with meticulous detail on cotton or silk appliqué, thangkas depict a wide range of subjects including Buddhist deities, sacred scenes, mandalas, and narrative stories. These sacred artworks are traditionally kept unframed and rolled up for storage, resembling ancient scrolls. To protect their delicate nature, thangkas are mounted on textile backings and often adorned with a silk cover on the front. Proper preservation in dry environments is crucial to maintain the integrity and longevity of the silk.
These sacred paintings serve as objects of contemplation, inspiration, and instruction, guiding practitioners on their spiritual path. Thangkas provide a visual gateway to the world of Tibetan Buddhism, encapsulating its rich symbolism, iconography, and spiritual concepts. With their vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and skillful craftsmanship, thangkas offer a profound visual medium for deepening one's understanding and connection to the teachings of Buddhism.
Thangkas come in various sizes, ranging from small pieces resembling Western half-length portraits to grand-scale creations spanning several meters in each dimension. While the larger thangkas are intended for temporary display during religious festivals, the majority of these artworks are designed for personal meditation or as educational aids for monastic students. The compositions of thangkas are meticulously crafted, featuring intricate details and often incorporating numerous small figures. A central deity or focal point is typically surrounded by a symmetrical arrangement of other divine beings, symbols, or narrative elements that convey profound spiritual teachings.
How is Thangka made
First, the canvas on which the painting is to be executed is laid on a wooden frame to determine the required dimensions. This canvas is an extremely finely woven cotton material, referred to in the Holy Scriptures as "Çura Canvas".
Then the canvas is cut, hemmed and, with the use of sturdy strings, very tightly mounted in the wooden frame. Painting is carried out with the frame in an upright position, without any further rigid support or backing.
In this studio, our primary artist, who works virtually exclusively for us, applies the undercoat consisting of a mixture of chalk and glue to the canvas by hand. Other Thangka workshops have turned to mainly using industrially pre-primed canvas.
This photo shows how the canvas, after receiving its base coat followed by a second coating of bone glue, is polished and smoothed by hand with a stone to attain a perfectly smooth, featureless painting surface. Through this process the canvas becomes quite rigid, thereby providing perfect conditions to evoke very finest artistic detail and over-all superior painting quality.
Using a different Thangka, we see how, after mounting, the complete basic pattern of the respective theme is applied to the canvas.
The following picture shows the steps in creating a gold-based Thangka, such as our No PH 9, the "Holy Mount Kailash". To achieve more intensive colour, yet another prime coat, in ochre, is applied, followed by a coat of pure gold. The so-called Thangka painting gold is traditionally produced by members of the Newar people in Nepal. 24-karat gold is ground to finest powder and mixed with bone glue and water in proportions suitable for direct use in painting. Thus, the Thangka gold is not gold leaf at all! Silver can be processed and used in the same way: Mount Kailash and the surrounding peaks in our completed Thangka were not painted with white paint, rather with precious silver.
Here, the nearly completed piece has been removed from the wooden frame. Now only the very finest finishing touches remain to be added, such as compacting the gold and giving Mount Kailash its silver mantle.
K. Lama regarded his already half-finished thangka proudly
The Mount Kailash Thangka, including the black margin (which can also facilitate the fastening of a traditional brocade frame), is now complete. Only the background gold must be compacted in the places where it is later intended to exhibit a sheen.
Here we see an old ballpoint pen casing into which a specially cut agate has been fitted. The back of this semi-precious stone is slightly concave and can be used to compact gold over extensive areas of the Thangka, while the blunt point is used to lineally compact gold, thus creating a shiny effect.
In this way, through partial compaction of the gold or refraining from compaction, nearly three-dimensional effects can be achieved. The glorious sheen of gold artistically treated in this way richly rewards the beholder or meditator with a Thangka possessed of an extraordinarily aesthetic aura.
