CENTRE
ABOUT THE CENTRE - MUSEUM & SCHOOL
The Centre for Living Buddhist Art, nestled in the Himalayan foothills of Dharamshala, India, is home to the Thangde Gatsal Thangka Painting School and the Himalayan Art Museum. The Centre’s purpose is to practise and preserve the Thangka artistic tradition. The Centre connects us to the rich cultural heritage of India, especially the Himalayan region and the state of Himachal Pradesh, aiming to generate awareness about Buddhist Art through contemporary Thangkas based on the tradition carried forward by Indian and Tibetan masters. The Centre is a window into the 2,300-year-old journey of Buddhist paintings and the evolution of art through ages and geographies.
To ensure the continuity of the tradition, the Thangde Gatsal School operates through the Guru-Shishya Parampara (Master-Student relationship), transmitting ancient knowledge through generations. Artists use this knowledge and its associated techniques—including grid drawing for adhesion to iconographic principles, inking, applying hand-ground mineral pigments, outlining in natural dyes, application of gold, opening of eyes—at all levels, from novice to master. The school maintains traditional principles while being highly innovative in its instruction method. Training is now available for various durations, from weeks to years, both on-location and at a distance, by virtue of the first-ever comprehensive online Thangka painting course published in 2023. Digital technology has the potential, if used with respect for tradition, to enable creative strategies, opening Thangka to more people. Accessibility has always been a priority for founders Master Locho and Dr. Sarika Singh, who wish simply to spread the bountiful moral and ethical teachings embodied in the imagery.
The Himalayan Art Museum exhibits 45 contemporary Thangka masterpieces, conveying the journey of Buddhist paintings from India to Tibet and from Tibet back to India. These Thangkas portray the stylistic evolutions that occurred at the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, Tabo Monastery in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, Alchi monastery in Ladakh, Tibet over one thousand years, and finally, the Indian mainland, particularly Dharamshala. Years of intense research, mastery over the tradition, and the artistic expressions of Master Locho and Dr Sarika Singh have made this visual historical narrative possible.
At the museum, Master Locho and Sarika welcome visitors from around the world to partake, rather than simply observe, in the art. The transmission of knowledge occurs from deity to artist as well as to all who gaze upon the imagery with minds unobstructedly receptive to it. They aspire to assist by creating a nurturing, inspiring environment. Guests and students alike may become more enlightened in their engagement with the teachings conveyed through the Thangka tradition, going forth in the world with a willingness to share with others in turn.
Always seeking more meaningful impact, the museum has also turned to film creation and digital archiving in recent years. In the documentary “Celestial Beings of Enlightened Realms,” the artists endeavour to spread the museum’s story to those unable to be there in person. The Thangka Archive saves every step in the journey of a Thangka for posterity so that its impact may carry beyond any one lifetime.