bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Bibek Bhandari

Lok Chitrakar has been painting the Heyvajra Mandala for about 25 years, and it is still a work in progress.
The famed Nepali artist, known for his traditional paubha paintings, says he is still studying the philosophies associated with Heyvajra, the deity with four heads and 12 arms, and the iconographies and symbols that represent the universe in the form of the mandala geometric design.
Chitrakar says he wants to understand the finer details of the life-size image, which is now about 70 per cent complete.
“I still have some confusion about the iconographies, so I am pausing it for a while,” he said. “When I restart, I will finish it.”

When finished, Chitrakar’s work could arguably become one of the modern-day masterpieces in Nepal, offering a window into the centuries-old traditional paubha paintings.
It also provides a glimpse into the patience and dedication required to practise this sacred – and sometimes secretive – art form used for elaborate depictions of Hindu and Buddhist deities. Few artists still practise paubha, given the amount of time devoted to complete paintings.
The origins of paubha are unclear owing to the lack of written documentation, scholars say, with much of the tradition and techniques passed down orally.
However, a few preserved works date back to as early as the 13th century, underscoring paubha as a “devotional art practice”, according to paubha painter and researcher Renuka Gurung.

“It is a reflection of ancient Buddhist practice … it is a jewel in the crown of the art history of Nepal,” she said.
Chitrakar learned about art through his family’s involvement in religious art. Under Nepal’s feudal and hierarchical caste system, people from the Chitrakar caste – which is part of the Newar caste system, divided according to profession – were designated as painters.
When he was about 12, Chitrakar started researching iconography, deities and symbols to complete what would become his first professional work – a painting of eight mother goddesses of Hinduism known as Ashtamatrika. It was the first time he made money from his art.
Chitrakar hasn’t stopped since, and at 62 has painted dozens of paubhas. Some of his notable works – such as the Chintamani Lokeshwor, Tara and Rakta Ganesh – have taken him years to finish, given the significant time needed to research and interpret the iconography, philosophy, history and culture behind each topic.


“It is not like you study for an academic degree that you just sit for an exam after studying,” the self-taught artist said. “It is a step-by-step process, it is an experience. And once you dive into it, the layers open one by one.”
On his creative process, Chitrakar likens it to how artists translate elements, such as compassion, into their work by “trying to bring out the abstract form into art”.
While the depictions of divinity may be familiar to devout Hindus and Buddhists, how do other art connoisseurs view his paubha paintings? Chitrakar says they could be initially drawn to the explosion of colours and unpack the various layers after closer scrutiny.
“Regardless of one’s religion, when people see my art, I just want them to forget everything for a while and experience a moment of happiness,” he said. “When they get lost in it, it might spark some curiosity or make one happy. That’s my biggest achievement,” he said.
Nepal to turn Mount Everest trash into art to highlight waste blight
While similar to thangka art, popular in Tibet, Chitrakar says paubha is believed to be its precursor. Researchers like Gurung believe both art forms evolved from the same Buddhist spirituality philosophy, but differ in how they represent particular traditions and practices of their individual communities.
Many of Chitrakar’s artworks have been exhibited around the world, with some also in the permanent collections of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum and the Kanzoin Mandala Museum in Japan.
However, he has also done ritual paintings for monasteries and temples, which require religious initiation and fasting while working on them. These are done under strict guidance, with knowledge passed down restricted to only a few.
Asked whether such restrictions may limit the sharing of knowledge, Chitrakar says those with a certain level of mastery in paubha will be given access at the right time.

However, there may be few people who are willing to pursue paubha to that extent.
Nepal does not have paubha-related academic degrees, so those keen on learning find their way to Chitrakar’s Simirik Atelier, which he opened in 1998 to train new artists.
Rabin Maharjan, 36, came to the studio after completing university eight years ago to learn from Chitrakar. He was drawn to paubha because of its rich history and his interest in the unique art form associated with the indigenous Newar community, to which he belongs.
“It requires a lot of patience, so there’s not much interest these days,” he said. “But if you are willing to dedicate your time and work on making connections to sell your work, then there is a good future.”
He is now a professional paubha artist.
Gurung says while the number of paubha painters is in decline, growing interest in the art form in Nepal and abroad has helped keep the tradition alive so far.

It is important to introduce paubha art in the education system to help students understand the traditional practice, Gurung says, but laments that the art form is in “dire need of good masters who can pass on the true essence of paubha painting alongside the technical and artistic aspects”.
According to Chitrakar, paubha has evolved stylistically and aesthetically over the years to make it more commercially viable. Artists can add new elements as long as they retain the art form’s philosophy, which Chitrakar terms as having “freedom with discipline”.
The shift in mindset about the profession – once reserved for those from the Chitrakar caste – has also encouraged younger artists to take up paubha and Lok Chitrakar says this will ensure the continuation of the tradition, even if on a smaller scale.
“It was a country that once discriminated against creative people,” he said. “Before, people didn’t respect artists, and many believed they just sold their work to tourists. So we just saw it in a materialistic way, and we didn’t understand the value of art.”


Nepal surveys flood wreckage as death toll reaches 198, dozens missing

‘We jumped from roof to roof’: deadly flooding and landslides hit Nepal

Nepal schools close after deadly floods, landslides kill 129

Ultra-cheap energy, Chinese cars drive EV revolution in Nepal

Nepal

Art of the gods: Nepali master’s paubha paintings offer window into centuries-old tradition

Nepali master artist Lok Chitrakar in his studio. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

A close up of the unfinished Heyvajra Mandala by Lok Chitrakar. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

An apprentice working on her paubha painting at Lok Chitrakar’s Simrik Atelier – a school, studio, and art gallery. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

An unfinished Heyvajra Mandala by Lok Chitrakar. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

Apprentices work on their paubha paintings at Simrik Atelier. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

Nepal to transform Mount Everest trash into art to raise environmental awareness

A Nepalese sherpa collects garbage left by climbers at an altitude of 8,000 metres during a Mount Everest clean-up expedition. A local group plans to create art out of some of the waste left at the world’s highest peak. Photo: AFP

Nepali climbers pose for photographs after collecting waste from the Mount Everest at Namche Bazar, on May 27, 2019, before it is transported to Kathmandu to be recycled. - Nepal government sent a dedicated clean-up team to Mount Everest this season with a target to bring back 10,000 kilograms (10 tonnes) of trash in an ambitious plan to clean the world's highest rubbish dump. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)

Why so many museums are full of stolen artefacts from Nepal and the people fighting to bring them back home

Heritage expert Rabindra Puri at his house, in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Photo: AFP

Rabindra Puri at his house in Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu. He is one of the heritage activists campaigning to bring back from overseas museums Nepalese artefacts stolen from the country. Photo: AFP

This 400-year-old necklace from Nepal is now in a museum in the United States. Photo: Art Institute of Chicago

Sweta Gyanu Baniya is a Virginia Tech professor. Photo: Virginia Tech

Priest Udhav Kamacharya has served at the Taleju Temple for 26 years. Photo: AFP

Rabindra has assembled a collection of replicas for a planned museum. Photo: AFP

New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art handed over a 10th-century stone sculpture of the Hindu god Shiva in September. Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Visitors learn about the British Museum’s Elgin Marbles that originate from the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Photo: Getty Images

A military commander sculpture looted by British soldiers from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Photo: Getty Images

In Nepal, where feminism is ‘not well perceived’, a library hopes to amplify women’s voices one book at a time

Krishtina Bajracharya and her sister at Junkiri. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

Junkiri founder Pooja Pant. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

An exterior view of Junkiri in an old Kathmandu courtyard. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

A biography of Nepali writer Parijat on display at Junkiri. Photo: Bibek Bhandari

Nepal’s kabaddi medal at Asian Games shines spotlight on ‘overlooked’ women athletes

Nepal’s kabaddi players compete against India during the women’s team semi-final at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Photo: Xinhua

Manmati Bist (in red) of Nepal competes during the women’s team semi-final of kabaddi between India and Nepal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Sports such as kabaddi, which lack the mass appeal of football, cricket or volleyball, are often pushed into the margins in Nepal. Photo: Xinhua

The Nepal women’s kabaddi team after winning the bronze medal at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. Photo: Anuja Kulung Rai

Nepali kabaddi player Anuja Kulung Rai at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Photo: Anuja Kulung Rai

Iran (in red) compete with Nepal at the kabaddi women’s group B qualification event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Photo: AFP

Players of Nepal compete during the women’s team semi-final of kabaddi between India and Nepal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Photo: Xinhua

In Nepal, a new book memorialises women of nation’s feminist movement: ‘to know is to understand’

Women gather in Kathmandu in 1981 to protest against the rape and murder of sisters Namita and Sunita Bhandari in Pokhara. Photo: Handout/Hisila Yami Collection

Pages from the book ‘The Public Life of Women: A Feminist Memory Project’. Photo: Handout/Sagar Chhetri/photo.circle

Military intelligence members of a Maoist battalion in Kali Gandaki in 2004. Photo: Handout/Lila Sharma Collection

Activist Bishnu Ojha addresses the assembly of workers at the Hetauda industrial complex in 1983. Photo: Handout/Bishnu Ojha Collection 

This Week in Asia

Lifestyle & Culture

People

News

Asia

South Asia

Master artist Lok Chitrakar has been working on paubhas since he was 12, with some paintings taking years because of the time needed for research
Artists hope growing interest in paubha – a ‘jewel in the crown’ of Nepal’s rich art history – will spur a revival of the centuries-old practice


Master artist Lok Chitrakar has been working on paubhas since he was 12, with some paintings taking years because of the amount of time needed for research.


History