This is a beautiful pure silver Shakyamuni Buddha Thangka Painting from Nepal. I brought it back with me on my last trip there. There are a tremendous amount of interesting characters and events in the painting. It has a very clean canvas and nice detail.
Some history of Shakyamuni Buddha:
Many years ago there was a king named Shuddhodana. The king and queen were sad as they were childless for a long time. One night Queen Mayadevi dreamed of a white elephant. Actually the white elephant was the Buddha himself. In the form of the white elephant the Buddha entered her womb and she became pregnant. Shortly after the Buddha was born his mother died and he was taken care of by his stepmother.
He was born a Prince and his father taught him many skills like horseback riding, sword playing, archery and swimming. The Buddha had a very kind hearted nature. His father wanted him to become a powerful king and gave him many forms of entertainment such as musical performances and dance. The Buddha even married a beautiful princess. But these did not make him happy.
One day he left the Palace and recognized the suffering around him. He met a monk who was in search of enlightenment and the cause of suffering. He left the palace feeling he needed to find the cause of suffering. After meditating for many years he became very weak and realized he needed to follow the middle path. He later attained enlightenment, traveled to many places and preached peace and taught others the path to enlightenment.
No real noticeable flaws
Size: 20.5" tall and 16.7" wide ( 47.2 cm tall and 42.4 cm wide ) including Border: 18.6" tall and 14.7" wide ( 47 cm tall and 37.3 cm wide ) excluding border
