In the land of Sikkim, snow clad mountains, ancient customs and traditions keep alive decades-old styles and forms of craftsmanship. There are over 60-odd monasteries in the state that preserve the ancient religious rituals, and are repositories of the traditional art and crafts. Among the best known works of craft in this region are carpet weaving, mask making, wood carving and paintings.

Paintings

Known as thangkas, the typical paintings of Sikkim, were originally a medium of reverence through which the highest ideals of Buddhism were evoked. Thangkas are created on cotton canvas and often framed with silk. They depict images of different gods, goddesses, and philosophies related to Buddhism. Traditionally, thangkas were made by Buddhist priests and monks and specific ethnic groups. The skills were passed from generation to generation. Today commercialization has helped spread this art form among a larger group of people. The revenue earnings from this art have also helped the monasteries and its practitioners keep it alive. There are three types of thangkas. One depicts the life of Buddha, his birth, his disillusionment with life, his search for enlightenment and his understanding of life. The second type of thangka is more abstract. These paintings represent the Buddhist beliefs of life and death. One example could be the Tibetan Wheel of Life, which symbolizes the Buddhist belief of transmigratory existence. The third type of the thangka consists of paintings that are often used as a tool for meditation or as offerings to the deities. These paintings are usually done against a white background. The colors used are all vegetable dyes and each has a special significance. White stands for serenity, golden for the birth or life, Enlightenment, and Parinirvana, red for the intensity of passion both love and hatred, black for anger, yellow for compassion and green for consciousness. The colors used in making a Thangka are all vegetable or mineral dyes extracted from the nature.

Carpet Weaving

The women of Sikkim practice what is perhaps the oldest form of carpet weaving in the world. The tradition is essentially Central Asian and a frame loom is used for the purpose. The women of the Bhotia community are believed to be expert weavers. The warp is prepared from cotton and is stretched on a frame. A small section is woven in plain weave. After this the woolen thread is introduced and a long metal rod is laid along the warp threads. Different colors of wool are introduced into the pattern and so are a number of rods. After about 3-4 rods, the loops are cut with a knife and a pile is created. The patterns commonly woven onto the carpets are a dragon holding a ball in his mouth or stylized floral motifs. Patterns are also borrowed from Buddhist iconography. Geometrical patterns are popular, too. Most patterns draw heavily on the surrounding beauty of the landscape and remind one of snow clad mountains surrounded by the sky and the brown and red earth and flowing waters. Even today, young students are taught the traditional art of carpet weaving as well as that of making thangkas, the traditional painting art of Sikkim.

Wood Carving

Symbolism has played a critical role in Indian art since time immemorial. In Sikkim, this is seen in its woodcarvings. Monasteries and many buildings in Sikkim are richly decorated with symbols and icons. These symbols are painted or embossed on the walls or on thangkas (paintings), or depicted in the exquisite woodcarvings that adorn these monasteries. Many monasteries are also decorated with wooden carvings. For instance, the Pemayangtse monastery, surrounded by mountains, glaciers and passes, has a number of elegantly carved wooden sculptures.

Mask Making

Sikkim's famous mask dances also display the expertise of the locals with wood. Costumed Lamas with gaily painted masks, ceremonial swords and sparkling jewels, leap and swing to the rhythm of resounding drums, trumpeting of horns and chanting of monks. The masks they wear are either wooden or made of papier-mâché and they are all hand made.