Thongdrel
Encyclopedia
A Thongdrel is a large tapestry
unveiled during tsechu
s (religious festivals) in Bhutan
. They are equivalent to Tibetan thangka
paintings. Thongdrels typically depict a seated Guru Rinpoche surrounded by holy beings.
Thongdrels are composed of two silk layers, the painting itself and a yellow drape that covers and protects it. Thongdrels are displayed once a year as the highlight of the tsechu festival of a district or dzongkhag
(although not every district has a thongdrel). The painting is not allowed to be struck by the direct rays of the sun, thus it is unfurled at around 3:00 in the morning and rolled back up by 7:30 AM.
The mere viewing of the unfurled thongdrel is said to cleanse the viewer of sin.
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
unveiled during tsechu
Tsechu
Tsechu are annual religious Bhutanese festivals held in each district or dzongkhag of Bhutan on the tenth day of a month of the lunar Tibetan calendar. The month depends on the place, but usually is around the time of October. Tsechus are religious festivals of Drukpa Buddhism...
s (religious festivals) in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. They are equivalent to Tibetan thangka
Thangka
A "Thangka," also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka" is a Tibetan silk painting with embroidery, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, famous scene, or mandala of some sort. The thankga is not a flat creation like an oil painting or acrylic painting...
paintings. Thongdrels typically depict a seated Guru Rinpoche surrounded by holy beings.
Thongdrels are composed of two silk layers, the painting itself and a yellow drape that covers and protects it. Thongdrels are displayed once a year as the highlight of the tsechu festival of a district or dzongkhag
Dzongkhag
A dzongkhag is an administrative and judicial district of Bhutan. The twenty dzongkhags of Bhutan are further divided into 205 gewogs. Some larger dzongkhags have one or more of an intermediate judicial division, known as dungkhags , which themselves comprise two or more gewogs...
(although not every district has a thongdrel). The painting is not allowed to be struck by the direct rays of the sun, thus it is unfurled at around 3:00 in the morning and rolled back up by 7:30 AM.
The mere viewing of the unfurled thongdrel is said to cleanse the viewer of sin.