Sikkim is a place where the beauty of its arts and crafts is quite popular, while the rural artisans are handcrafting products at will to create a resplendent display of alluring ornaments, which are items basically used for decor and furnishing.
Thangkas are famous for their promotion of creativity in the state of Sikkhim, typical thangkas are fairly small, with painted area ranging in between 20 to 50 centimeters, even giant festival thangkas are designed to be unrolled against a wall in the monastery for religious occasions. These paintings are wider than its length, may be sixty feet wide and twenty feet high. In Bhutan these are called thongdrels. They are larger than average thangkas that were designed for altars or display in temples.
Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk. The most common thangka painting is done on a loosely woven cotton produced in a width of 16 – 23 inches. While there quite a many variations, thangkas wider than 17 or 18 inches frequently need beams to support them. The paint consists of pigments mixed in a water-soluble medium made out of animal glue. Both mineral and organic pigments are used. The paint is directly applied as a warm liquid, mixed shortly before application.
Thangka art is often expressed with loads of symbols and allusions. The art of Thangka is explicitly religious; henceforward all symbols must be in perfect accordance with strict guidelines laid out in the Buddhist scriptures. The artist must be adequately trained in this craft, possessing a sufficient understanding of them religious scriptures, with a mythological know how of laying an accurate background to create the desired thangka.
2. Choktse Tables
High mountains and fascinating greenery. Sikkim is widely known for not only its breath taking beauty but for some extraordinary works of art and craft, like them tables called Choktse, Hand made papers, Woolen blankets, and traditional motifs.
Choktse, a foldable table from the region of gangtok, is one of them well-known products of Sikkim, attaining both national and international fame. Choktse tables are prepared in varying designs with unique motifs.
Choktses are small wooden tables which are very delicately painted and polished. The tables are both foldable and portable, made in different dimensions. They are Tibetan in origin, made from wood locally known as kath.
The various parts of these tables are first cut out from wood and then carved into them desired motifs. The pattern to be etched is transferred onto the wood, using a paper stencil. Holes are drilled using a drilling machine on the portions to be completely removed around the motif.
Using a set of tools, details of the form are carved out. The carved panel is fixed onto a choktse, otherwise painted and polished if it is to be sold as an individual piece. The choktse is rigorously treated for smoothness and other quality measures, coated with a primer and finally dried.
Buy any one of these traditional handicraft items, and comment below with a selfie, while you might stand a chance to win exciting offers.
BaazKart 