Tangka painting

　　Tangka means scroll mounted with silken cloth. It is usually in a vertical rectangular shape. The middle part called "beautiful dragon" is a core of tangka painting. The four sides of the picture are usually inlaid with yellow and red silks. The lower middle part is inlaid with a square-shaped silk in different colors. The edge of the silk is decorated with red or white thread. Both ends of the scroll are decorated with pure silver, ivory, jade or copper. A dragon design is exquisitely carved on the scroll. The entire picture is covered by color silk to protect the painting. When it is on display, the silk cover can be put on the upper part of the painting, showing a excellent decorating result.

　　The subject of tangka painting is varied, including religious, autograph and historical paintings, as well as these reflecting the lives and customs of local people, astronomical and calendar calculations, Tibetan medical science and medi-cines and human body dissecting pictures. They are interesting, knowledgeable and full of religious and artistic features. Therefore, they are praised as a Tibetan "encyclopedia".

　　A Buddhist statue is the most commonly seen religious painting. Generally speaking, the central place is used to depict the main figures. Beginning from the upper corner of the picture, related figures, activity places or stories are painted around the central figure in clockwise direction. Each tangka scroll describes a completed story.