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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.
Kalachakra
Kalachakra means the 'Wheel of Time' & offers tools to help you free yourself from cyclical existence [Skt. Samsara]. Samsara refers to patterns of behaviour such as habits & preconceived ideas concerning the nature of reality. Each of the tools held by the deity provides a specific solution. The sum of all of Kalachakra's attributes can lead you to pure consciousness beyond the normal conception of space & time.
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Iconography The idea of Kalachakra revolves around the concept of time [Skt. Kala] and the cycles [Skt. Chakra's] of existence. Everything from the cycles of a clock, the cycles of habit, the cycles of the planets through to the cycles of human breathing. Everything is the world is governed by cycles of time & the clearer we understand cyclical patterns the more we can work with them & liberate navigate towards a more enlightened state.Kalachakra is atemporally conjoined with his consort yellow Kalachakri in an embrace called Yab-Yum. Kalachakra has four heads, 24 arms & 2 legs. A principle head is blue, with a blue upper body & four blue left & four right arms. His two principle arms embrace Kalachakri. Additionaly a left red head, four red left, four right arms & a red left leg; a white right facing head, four white right arms & a white right leg. Kalachakra is an emanation of blue Akshobhya [Skt.] [Eng. unshakable which is why Kalachakra is predominately blue. The two other original transcendent Buddha Families (Meditation [Skt. Dhyana] Buddhas) depicted are red Amitabha [Skt.] meaning bearer of love who can greed into love & white Vairochana [Skt.] meaning illuminator who can snuff out delusion into realised wisdom. The wisdom energies of ddhist ArtAmitabha, Akshobhya & Vairochana respectively transmute greed, hatred & delusion tuning the Wheel of Life. His crossed two principle blue arms are in Victory over the Three Realms gesture [Skt. Triolyavijaya Mudra], also called the Humkara Mudra with reference to the syllable 'Hum'. The three realms form the Trikaya Principle of Nirmanakaya, Sambhogakaya & Dharmakaya. The right hand holds a vajra topped bell [Skt. Ghanta] (barely visible) symbolising female wisdom & a diamond [Skt. Vajra] sceptre which symbolises method or compassion. He wears a special necklace of interlocking Diamond Sceptres [Skt. Vajramala] & a second made of skulls [Skt Kapalamala]. He wears a tiger skin dhoti representing his power over hatred. He stands & subdues two four armed demons. One of his left hands holds a blue wooden club [Skt. Danda] representing the crushing of the veils of ignorance. The top left red hand holds a hammer [Skt. Mudgara] representing the destruction of greed. The head of the hammer is bell-shaped symbolising the female wisdom quality, the vajra-shaped back part representing the male method quality & surmounted by a jewel representing conviction. The third red left hand holds an iron hook [elephant goad] with a vajra pommel [Skt. Vajrankush] which represents subjugating negative afflictions. The fourth red hand holds three unkindled firebrands [Skt. Agnidanda or Jvaladanda] often shown as three fire arrows [Skt. Agnibana] representing the power of subjugating the three original Kleshas being greed, hatred & delusion which form the centre of the Wheel of Life.
The top right white hand holds the Four Heads of Brahma [Skt. Brahmashiras] representing the severance of all conceptualisations & development of the four measureless states being loving kindness [Skt. Metta], sympathetic joy [Skt. Mudita], equanimity [Skt. Upekka] & lastly compassion [Skt. Karuna] which themselves know no bounds. The Four abodes are also known as the Temples of Brahma. The third white hand holds a sun disc [Skt Suryachakra] representing absolute truth with the third blue hand holding a moon disc representing awoken realisation of relative truth. His fourth right white hand holds the right turning conch shell [Skt. Dakshinavarta Sangha] representing sound & the seed [Skt. bija] syllables, Buddhism according to the Dharmas. Descriptions the other shown hand-held attributes are found in Robert Beer's book The Handbook of Tibetan Symbols. The triangular diamond rock formation in the foreground represents the Source of Reality [Skt. Dharmadaya] within which the deities manifest & the principle of Trikaya arises. This is generated from emptiness by the syllable E which in Indian language is a Triangular shaped letter D.
Commentary
Yab-Yum is a Tibetan word meaning father-mother which describes Kalachakra in sexual union with his female consort Kalachakri. Yab-yum is generally understood to represent the primordial union of wisdom & compassion. In Buddhism the masculine form is active, representing either skilful means or compassion [Skt. Upaya] that should be developed for enlightenment. The feminine form is passive representing wisdom [Skt. Prajna]. United, the figures symbolize the union necessary to overcome the veils of Maya, the false duality of object & subject. Kalachakra is also a tutelary meditation[Skt. Ishtadevata; Tib. Yidam] deity.
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.
