Style1½ inches thick (3.75 cm) Product Details Artist grade canvas, archival inks, wooden stretcher bars, and UVB protective coating
AvailablityUsually ships within five business days. ArtistMihir Shah CollectionKashmir
Description Tibetan Buddhist sand paintings are usually made of mandalas. In Tibetan, it is called dul-tson-kyil-khor ('mandala of colored powders').The sand is carefully placed on a large, flat table. The construction process takes several days, and the mandala is destroyed shortly after its completion. This is done as a metaphor for the impermanence of life.The mandala sand painting process begins with an opening ceremony, during which the lamas, or Tibetan priests, consecrate the site and call forth the forces of goodness. This is done by means of chanting, music, and mantra recitation.On the first day, the lamas begin by drawing an outline of the mandala to be painted on a wooden platform. The following days see the laying of the colored sands, which is effected by pouring the sand from traditional metal funnels called chak-pur. Each monk holds a chak-pur in one hand, while running a metal rod on its serrated surface; the vibration causes the sands to flow like liquid.Formed of a traditional prescribed iconography that includes geometric shapes and a multitude of ancient spiritual symbols, the sand-painted mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants.
Mihir Shah, Mumbai Member Since June 2007 Artist Statement Another enthusiast amongst millions others who have discovered the joy of photography is what I believed myself to be. But, as time passed, the no. of clicks on my Canon Powershot digital camera jumped into thousands and as I started losing count of various nooks and corners of India that I had visited, I realized that I had a passion. A passion for capturing moments, storing memories of interesting people and mesmerizing locations that I had come across. It went beyond mere photography. For me, my camera became my view of the world as well as a well documented memory of the part that I had played in it.
Still a student by profession, this mass communication graduate is seeking to pursue new adventures and visit more spectacular places on planet earth. In the meanwhile, he’ll keep clicking.