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The largest tankha on its way to India: The Asian Age
New Delhi, Oct 14: The world`s largest mandala (tankha), portraying the Buddha`s life, will be displayed in India for the first time in December as a grand finale to the 50th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic ties between India and Japan.
New Delhi, Oct 14: The world’s largest mandala (tankha), portraying the Buddha’s life, will be displayed in India for the first time in December as a grand finale to the 50th anniversary celebrations of diplomatic ties between India and Japan.
The 70m x 50m mandala, weighing 2,000 kgs has been made by 10,000 trained artists from 16 countries over the past five years in Japan. This mammoth patchwork cost over $3.4 million to create.
India will be the first country to view the mandala "since the Buddha was born in India and Buddhism travelled to other parts of the world from here," after which it will travel to other parts of the world.
The president of the Indian Cultural Study Association of Japan, Rev. D.S. Uchida, met defence minister George Fernandes and human resources development minister Murli Manohar Joshi here on Monday, seeking permission to display it at a prominent location in the national capital — either next to India Gate or inside Jawaharalal Nehru Stadium.
Speaking exclusively to The Asian Age, Rev. Uchida said: "We have a ritual in Japan that after a temple is built and Buddha is installed, a special ceremony is undertaken to put the soul in it. In the same way, we can only put the soul inside this mandala in India since it was here that Buddha was born and Buddhism travelled from here. Before this ceremony, we can’t take the mandala anywhere else. But after the show is completed in India, we are willing to show it in other countries jointly with India."
He added: "Since Buddha’s doctrine was big, we decided to portray it in a big way. Hence this mandala. Besides Delhi, we also want to take it to Nalanda from where Buddha’s doctrine came to Japan and China. The tentative date for the unveiling is December 7-12, and we are also planning to bring renowned musician Shokichi Kina for a peace concert."
The man behind the project, graphic designer Yasutada Katagiri, told The Asian Age: "The original painting of the mandala was 2 x 1.4 metres and was made by a priest from Bhutan five years ago. It was then expanded to the present size with the help of a computer and divided into 81 blocks of equal size. One key artist was assigned for every block, who in turn had 30 to 150 artists at his disposal. The blocks were then further shortened to 2,916 blocks of equal size (90 cm x 120 cm) and after completion, all the blocks were joined together with zippers to make the mammoth mandala. It has been made on acrylic cloth and the design on it has been sewn with coloured thread. The money for the project was raised through donations. The project is called Mandala 21st Century."
"All the 10,000 artists from across the world worked voluntarily for us and were contacted through word of mouth and the Internet by the association of patch workers. We have a special relationship with India and it dates back to after the Second World War when Nehru presented us with an elephant for entertainment when we were reeling under destruction. And it was from India that the theory of ahimsa spread to the world. So through unveiling the mandala in India before anywhere else, we are showing our gratitude to India. The mandala was completed on April 27, 2002 in Hiroshima," Rev. Uchida added.
The 70m x 50m mandala, weighing 2,000 kgs has been made by 10,000 trained artists from 16 countries over the past five years in Japan. This mammoth patchwork cost over $3.4 million to create.
India will be the first country to view the mandala "since the Buddha was born in India and Buddhism travelled to other parts of the world from here," after which it will travel to other parts of the world.
The president of the Indian Cultural Study Association of Japan, Rev. D.S. Uchida, met defence minister George Fernandes and human resources development minister Murli Manohar Joshi here on Monday, seeking permission to display it at a prominent location in the national capital — either next to India Gate or inside Jawaharalal Nehru Stadium.
Speaking exclusively to The Asian Age, Rev. Uchida said: "We have a ritual in Japan that after a temple is built and Buddha is installed, a special ceremony is undertaken to put the soul in it. In the same way, we can only put the soul inside this mandala in India since it was here that Buddha was born and Buddhism travelled from here. Before this ceremony, we can’t take the mandala anywhere else. But after the show is completed in India, we are willing to show it in other countries jointly with India."
He added: "Since Buddha’s doctrine was big, we decided to portray it in a big way. Hence this mandala. Besides Delhi, we also want to take it to Nalanda from where Buddha’s doctrine came to Japan and China. The tentative date for the unveiling is December 7-12, and we are also planning to bring renowned musician Shokichi Kina for a peace concert."
The man behind the project, graphic designer Yasutada Katagiri, told The Asian Age: "The original painting of the mandala was 2 x 1.4 metres and was made by a priest from Bhutan five years ago. It was then expanded to the present size with the help of a computer and divided into 81 blocks of equal size. One key artist was assigned for every block, who in turn had 30 to 150 artists at his disposal. The blocks were then further shortened to 2,916 blocks of equal size (90 cm x 120 cm) and after completion, all the blocks were joined together with zippers to make the mammoth mandala. It has been made on acrylic cloth and the design on it has been sewn with coloured thread. The money for the project was raised through donations. The project is called Mandala 21st Century."
"All the 10,000 artists from across the world worked voluntarily for us and were contacted through word of mouth and the Internet by the association of patch workers. We have a special relationship with India and it dates back to after the Second World War when Nehru presented us with an elephant for entertainment when we were reeling under destruction. And it was from India that the theory of ahimsa spread to the world. So through unveiling the mandala in India before anywhere else, we are showing our gratitude to India. The mandala was completed on April 27, 2002 in Hiroshima," Rev. Uchida added.