Kumbum Monastery in Xining is one of the most important monasteries in Qinghai. The annual Thangka Unfolding Ceremony was held in Kumbum Monastery of Qinghai Province, northwest China on May 24, 2013. In memory of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, the ceremony was held to commemorate his birth, enlightenment and nirvana.
A giant Thangka is unfolded in Kumbum Monastery
Thangka has been in vogue in Tibet for centuries. In Tibetan, "Thang" means "unfolding" or "displaying", and Thangka means "silk, satin or cloth painting scroll". It is most often painted on scrolls or embroidered on wall hangings of silk or other cloth. Common at monasteries, lamas' residences, family halls for worshipping Buddha and homes of Tibetan Buddhists, Thangka is a mark of devotion to Buddhism and often serves as an object of worship.
Nobody knows where and when Thangka originated, but comparing with Tibetan painting, the history of Thangka can be traced back to as early as the Tubo period (or Songtsen Gampo period, about the 7th century), as a combination of Chinese scroll painting, Nepal painting and Kashmir painting. From the relics of Karuo in Qamdo, we can find the trace of Thangka.
Nowadays, Thangka unfolding ceremony has become an important religious activity in Tibet. Different monasteries would hold the ceremony in different time.
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