Master Locho and Dr. Sarika Singh are renowned Thangka Painting masters, committed to the practice, preservation, and promotion of Buddhist art in its traditional form.
They reside in Dharamsala, India, in the Himalayan Mountains where they have established
'Center for Living Buddhist Art’.
The Center includes
‘Thangde Gatsal Art School and Studio’ and
‘Himalayan Art Museum’
Master Locho and Dr. Sarika Singh met in 1997 when Sarika began her Thangka training at the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamshala, India, where Master Locho was the assistant to the esteemed Master Tempa Choephel. Master Locho had been at Norbulingka for nearly 10 years at that point and had already begun to cultivate exquisite skill in his artistic expression and patient dedication in his teaching. The two artists were destined to work together.
Together, they have created Thangkas- which will ceaselessly continue to impact those who gaze upon them- and have founded the Centre for Living Buddhist Art in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala. Comprising the Thangde Gatsal Thangka Painting School and Studio and the Himalayan Art Museum, the Centre welcomes students, artists, and visitors to participate in the traditional practice.
As teachers, Master Locho and Sarika continue to develop unprecedented courses, textbooks, and workshops, opening the tradition to a wider array of students. At the Thangde Gatsal School, expanding instruction methods while retaining ancient pedagogical philosophies, such as the Guru-Shishya Parampara (Master-Student Relationship), their reach extends to artists of all levels, geographies, and backgrounds.
The Himalayan Art Museum exhibits 45 contemporary Thangka masterpieces, conveying the journey of Buddhist paintings from India to Tibet and from Tibet back to India. These Thangkas portray the stylistic evolutions that occurred at the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, Tabo Monastery in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, Alchi monastery in Ladakh, Tibet over one thousand years, and finally, the Indian mainland, particularly Dharamshala. Years of intense research, mastery over the tradition, and the artistic expressions of Master Locho and Dr Sarika Singh have made this visual historical narrative possible.
At the museum, Master Locho and Sarika welcome visitors from around the world to partake, rather than simply observe, in the art. The transmission of knowledge occurs from deity to artist as well as to all who gaze upon the imagery with minds unobstructedly receptive to it. They aspire to assist by creating a nurturing, inspiring environment. Guests and students alike may become more enlightened in their engagement with the teachings conveyed through the Thangka tradition, going forth in the world with a willingness to share with others in turn.
Always seeking more meaningful impact, the museum has also turned to film creation and digital archiving in recent years. In the documentary “Celestial Beings of Enlightened Realms,” the artists endeavour to spread the museum’s story to those unable to be there in person. The Thangka Archive saves every step in the journey of a Thangka for posterity so that its impact may carry beyond any one lifetime.
For over 25 years, the pair have worked side by side, wondrous complements of one another. In them, one may glimpse the union of compassion and wisdom leading toward enlightenment as gathered in the core Buddhist theme. Often, in depictions, a male archetype represents compassion, and a female archetype, wisdom; here, the two accord to this design. Maser Locho is compassion itself, wholly attuned to even the most minute detail and committed—manifest in the selfless dedication and consummate skill with which he wields colours, inks, and dyes, enlivening a painting—to bringing beauty and joy into this world. Sarika’s wisdom, which is one truly fostered for the common good, emanates through her research and vision as she composes an image or idea.
LOBSANG TSATEN ( Assistant Master Artist)
Lobsang Tsaten is a devoted Thangka artist whose passion for Tibetan Buddhist painting was ignited during his studies at the Tibetan Home School in Mussoorie, India.
Over the past 15 years, he has honed his craft under Master Locho's guidance—studying and even residing with him—deeply embracing the traditional Guru-Shishya Parampara.
Now as an assistant master artist at the Centre for Living Buddhist Art, Lobsang plays a vital role in preserving this sacred tradition and inspiring new generations of Thangka painters.
