Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia

Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia

Sikkimese Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia will receive the Padma Shri award. He is a well-known traditional Buddhist artist from the Himalayas. Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia, an artist from Sikkim, has been given the Padma Shri award in the area of arts. He lives in Namchi, South Sikkim.

Who is Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia?

Artist Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia hails from the Indian state of Sikkim and is renowned for his magnificent Thangka-style paintings. Tibetan Buddhist thangkas are paintings on cotton with silk appliqués that typically feature a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. When not in use, thangkas are typically stored unframed and rolled up. They are placed on a fabric backdrop in the manner of Chinese scroll paintings, with an additional silk cover on the front.

Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia, who is from Sakyong in West Sikkim, attended Senior Secondary School in Namchi and Government Senior Secondary School in Pelling for his official education. He was initiated into monk life at the Pemayangtse Monastery after completing his formal schooling. He started painting Thangkas professionally in the monastery. He had his training in Thangka painting from a number of accomplished artists, including Dungzin Rimpoche, the late Jigme Wangchuk Lama, the late Phuntsok Sangpo, and the late Zapa Acho.

Son of the late Jigme Wangchuk Lama, who constructed the Sangdopalri building at Pemayangtse Monastery in Sikkim, Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia was born. 

Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia has taken part in numerous seminars and exhibitions on a national and international scale, such as the India International Trade Fair in Delhi, India (2004), the Surajkand Mela in Haryana (2006), the Made In NorthEast India Fair in Bangkok, Thailand (2010), and the Jeddah International Trade Fair in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (EPCH) in 2014.