Pauva

Pauva is a traditional Nepalese art-form which has been practised in the Kathmandu Valley since ancient times and later was popularised in Tibet as Thangka.

Pauva is a meditation practice that has great spiritual and aesthetic value and it takes many years to master the technique. The form of the Deity (Yidam) is painted according to the vision of the meditation practitioner and each painting depicts the meaning with precision and finesse.

In Nepal, the knowledge and skills are transferred from one generation to the next in accordance with lineage traditions. However, today there are very few master artisans remaining and the tradition has been in decline for many years.

The murals in the main shrine hall of the monastery in Kathmandu depict the life story of the Buddha, the ancient Vajracharya Masters of the Kathmandu Valley, other Vajrayana Masters, and the pantheon of Buddhist Deities. The murals were painted over a period of ten years, and they were painted as a gift by a group of Pauva artists towards their beloved Master, the Vidyadhara.