Thangka wall

Mounting of the thangka

A thangka wall is, in Tibetan religious architecture, a wall where monks hang giant Thangka. These thangkas are intended to serve as a record of experience and guide future decisions. A silk brocade is used to mount the thangka onto the wall. While mounting the thangka on the wall, it may alter some details on the iconography and overall aesthetic of the thangka. Hanging thangkas on damp thangka walls can also be detrimental to the condition of the thangka.

Festivals

Thankas are also known an thongdrels when they are being viewed at a Bhutan festival, royal coronations, and Buddha Painting Unfolding Festival. Thongdrels are made almost entirely out of silk. These thongdrels are displayed once a year as the highlight of the tsechu festival, a festival for a specific district. In Tibetan culture, there were 53 of these districts, also known as dzongs. Dzong architecture usually serves as the thangka wall in these festivals.

Architecture behind walls

Dzong architecture is a distinct type of fortress found mainly in the Bhutan and areas formerly dominated by Tibetan culture. Most Tibetan centers have structures strategically built into defense walls or other building built solely for the purpose of being a large space, then they can also be transformed into thangka walls. The defense walls were usually built on a hilltop or mountain side. If one was built in a valley, a small dzong was built directly uphill from that one, ensuring the entire slope is safe from attackers. It had towering exterior walls that slope inward. These walls are made of brick and stones and are painted white. These walls usually have few or no windows. The architecture allows the thongdrel to be rolled from the top of the building and then down the side of the wall.