• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About +
    • Press
  • Start Here +
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Travel Blog
  • Destinations +
    • Africa +
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia +
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe +
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America +
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania +
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America +
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Resources +
    • Travel Insurance
  • Work With Us

Go Backpacking

Adventure Travel Blog

Go Backpacking > Destinations > Asia > Nepal > Thangka Shopping

Thangka Shopping

May 8, 2008 By Dave

1shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Thangka Salesman

Upon my return to Kathmandu, I dedicated a full day to thangka shopping. Thangkas are traditional Tibetan Buddhist paintings made on cloth. They are often framed with a brocade and depict one of five different topics: Deities (like Buddha, Tara, etc.), Life of Buddha, Wheel of Life, and two types of Mandalas. I've wanted one for years, however at the one Himalayan store in Washington, DC I found, they were around $500. The selection was also quite limited.

Thangka shops and schools are as numerous in Kathmandu as fake t-shirt shops are in Bali. If I had any hope of making a decision by day's end, I needed to narrow the field by picking a subject. I went with the Wheel of Life which depicts the psychological states associated with an unenlightened mind. All thangkas are steeped in religious symbolism and while I learned quite a bit during my shopping experience about the iconography, I'm not even going to attempt to explain it.

After looking at enough thangkas, you learn what to look for when determining quality and value (even before you ask the price). The fineness of lines, harmony of colors, and use of 24k gold are big differentiators. In general, the student quality is the lowest, followed by a middle ground, and lastly the “master” quality. Once I found the finest quality thangka of the day, I could hardly bear to look at the lesser ones in other shops (even if they were cheaper).

So I negotiated a 30% discount, and still spent almost three times the initial figure I had in my head. Money seemed to matter a little less when I reflected on my opportunity to own a piece of art so beautiful, let alone the three months it took to create it. I chose the color and design of the brocading and picked it up a few days later. I only had a quick glimpse of the framed painting before it was rolled up and packed in a large cardboard cylinder for shipment home.

Planning a trip? Go Backpacking uses and recommends:

  • G Adventures for small group tours
  • Skyscanner for researching flights
  • Hostelworld for booking hostels
  • Airbnb for renting rooms and homes
  • Rail Europe for train passes
  • World Nomads for travel insurance

1shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Related

Filed Under: Nepal

About Dave

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 65 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Originally from New York, Dave now calls Austin, TX home. Find him on Instagram and Twitter.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debo Hobo says

    May 8, 2008 at 12:27 pm

    I am glad to hear your found the painting you were looking for and that you haggled the price. So often people tell me about how they paid full price without negotiating.

  2. crambox says

    May 8, 2008 at 5:24 pm

    Good buy dave so what if it cost a little more at least you know it authentic not a china knock off!

  3. crambox says

    May 8, 2008 at 12:24 pm

    Good buy dave so what if it cost a little more at least you know it authentic not a china knock off!

  4. Debo Hobo says

    May 8, 2008 at 5:27 pm

    I am glad to hear your found the painting you were looking for and that you haggled the price. So often people tell me about how they paid full price without negotiating.

  5. Almostfearless says

    May 21, 2008 at 8:51 am

    Good job haggling… I’m always so horrible at that, they see me coming from a mile away.

  6. Almostfearless says

    May 21, 2008 at 1:51 pm

    Good job haggling… I’m always so horrible at that, they see me coming from a mile away.

  7. gucci outlet says

    July 5, 2010 at 8:24 am

    The post of content is very interesting and exciting. I learned a lot from here.The content from simple to complex, so all of you can come in . No matter you want to see what can be found.By the way ,there are some websites is also very wonderful,you can go and see.such as air jordan 16.5

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Dave and I've been backpacking for 20+ years. We're here to make your next trip your best trip! Read More…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Topics

About | Archive | Travel Resources | Submissions | Work With Us | Contact

© 2021 Go Backpacking · All Rights Reserved

Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy

  • 1