Nepal in Photos: Gods of the Mountain Kingdom

In this post: The stunning Tibetan architecture and artwork at the Boudhanath Monastery.

 

Boudhanath is in central Kathmandu, roughly a 25 minute taxi ride from Thamel. Historically it was an essential waypoint on the trading route between Tibet, Nepeal, India and beyond (Nepal's highway to Tibet runs close by). Boudhanath also houses the largest Tibetan population outside of Tibet; a safe haven for the art, culture and religion which is gradually being destroyed by the Chinese occupation of Tibet. Boudhanath's giant stupa was said to be built by Chenrezig himself (who brought Buddhism to Tibet from India/Nepal) many hundreds of years ago.

Boudhanath's giant stupa.

A giant prayer wheel, standing at over eleven feet high, spins in the anteroom of Boudha's most centrally located Tibetan monastery.

The monastery doors.

It was my good fortune on this day to have been accompanied to Boudha by a friend who had spent nine years of his life as a Buddhist monk at the largest monastery in the area. I was shown around the stupa, told the legend of Chenrezig, shown the local monasteries and taken to a public teaching for monks and nuns. I was also fortunate enough to catch the few open hours of the central monastery. 

The walls of this monastery are painted with the most incredible Thangka I have ever seen; depictions of Maya, gods, demons, weapons, animals and corpses. All of these come together to illustrate the details of the many almost innumerable facets and aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. This post contains photographs of some of these paintings, inked by hand directly onto the monastery walls. The scale is only outdone by the incredible detail. In order to learn to paint like this, students of Thankga (the genuine articles are created only by trained monks) will spend 6 years learning to master this particular style of painting.

The first four images in this post were taken on 35mm. The monastery itself was too dark to use a 35mm camera with no tripod, and flash photography would have reflected off the paintings (it's also fairly inconsiderate to use tripods and flashguns in a functioning religious building - please think before you go ahead and assume it's okay). All of the below photos were taken (after seeking permission) with an iPhone - proof that it isn't always equipment that matters.

 One aspect of Tibetan art that often surprises people is the level of gore and violence depicted in the images. Tibetan Buddhism is often perceived as a gentle faith, placing value on life and harmony. In the same way that Buddhism entered Japan and existed side by side with Shinto (Japan's pagan faith), Buddhism in Tibet has evolved from assimilation of Bon, the original pagan faith of Tibet (based heavily on polytheistic and pantheonic worship and nature-based shamanism). The many gods of the Tibetan Mahayana have their origins in the gods of the mountains, of the rivers, the skies, of fire and water and wind.

 These 'origin gods' evolved into their current Buddhist manifestations as guardians of multiple realms, such as hell (ruled over by Shinje-Gyalpo [Ghost King]), the realm of humans and the realm of hungry ghosts and as cohesions and mergings of pre-existing Hindu deities.

 Many are confused by Buddhism's message of 'peace and transendance' when they see ancient artworks depicting humans being devoured by wrathful deities, wild animals or being consumed by fire. This is an indication as to the lack of real understanding of Tibetan Buddhism and its history, mythology and origins. Anyone familiar with Japanese Buddhism will know of Fudou Myouoh (不動明王), a terrifying demon armed with a flaming sword and noose; one eye looks upwards to heaven, the other downwards to hell. While he seems to be unfittingly intimidating, Fudou Myouoh is in fact the deity who converts anger into salvation through the ways of wisdom and humility - he is a saviour, the gateway to inner peace from outer turmoil.

 Incredible levels of artistic and technical mastery are evident in the miniscule details of these paintings.

A man is mauled and devoured by tigers. Note the tiny details on the fabric of the rider's clothing.

 Further depictions of the natural world, as viewed by Tibetan Buddhists - a constant cycle of death and rebirth.

 Unfortunately, I can't interpret the meaning of the dancing skeleton in flames. Comments suggesting the meaning are welcome.

 Another depiction of two deities (in the form of 'yab-yum' [lit. 'mother-father']), adorned with tiger and leopard skins, trampling the bodies of those who have committed wrongdoing in the mortal realm. They are also wreathed in flames and ceremonial eyeballs, as well as human heads strung together with intestines. Finally, they are shrouded in human skins. While this image may appear violent and full of carnage, note the hands of the black deity. In one, he holds a skull cup complete with brains and intesines (an auspicious offering). In the other, he holds a Vajra (Tibetan: Dorje) - the vajra is an artistic interpretation of a heavenly thunderbolt, and there are two main kinds: the Wrathful vajra, with open prongs, and, depicted here, the Peaceful vajra, with closed prongs. The use of the Peaceful Vajra in this image denotes that this character is ultimately god-like, not demonic.

 No deity is too small: Depicted here, is the god of invisibility. I genuinely didn't see this until it was pointed out to me by a friend.

 A plethora of traditional Tibetan weapons (minus the blue dagger with a white ribbon and three heads - this is a 'Phurba' - a mythological weapon used only by gods). Note that the weapons tell us a great deal about the nature of battle throughout Tibetan history, as well as the terrain on which it would have taken place. The use of longswords, battleaxes, halberds, spears and warhammers is in line with the wide open spaces in the mountains and on the vast plains of Tibet, as well as the border regions of ancient (pre-unified) China and the immense plains of Mongolia. Weapons such as these would have been common in such regions of Asia, and would have included large banners bearing flags and standards, visible from great distances. They require a large amount of open space to use without causing injury to the user. They are also useable from horseback (more common in Chinese and Mongolian warfare). The large blue flaming sword on the left is comparable to the one wielded by the aforementioned Japanese deity, Fudou Myouoh.

 Images that appear violent and gory often have a more peaceful backstory. Above is a depiction of a traditional Tibetan 'sky burial.' The body of the deceased is taken to a high place and left for consumption by wild animals, including vultures, bears and wolves. To Western sensibilities, this may seem distasteful. However, sky burials are seen as a final act of humane altruism: if these predators can feed on a body that is already deceased, it offers a greater chance for smaller animals ususally eaten by these predators to avoid or delay being killed for food.

 

 Another close-up of the detail in these colossal paintings.

It is hard to offer a sense of scale using only these photos. I took this last image standing at the base of the painting. The feet of this deity start from about nine feet above the floor, and the rest of the image continues upwards. I can only speculate as to the total height of this particular character, and the intricacy and complexity of the painting is evident.

My lifelong interest lies in the art and religion of ancient cultures. Images such as these are loaded with meaning and cultural value, relevant especially to a time when not all of the intended audience would have been literate. I am still learning about Tibetan Buddhist art, and if anybody has special knowledge in the area, I would always be happy to learn more. Special thanks go to Jamyang Ghale for the detailed and enlightening information he has shared with me on the subject of Tibetan Buddhism, and for giving me access to places that most visitors to Nepal would never have been able to see.

ཐུགས་རྗེཞེ་དྲག་ཆེ་།