Tibetan Thangka Influence on Indian Buddhist Painting Traditions in Ladakh — A Summative Study

This paper examines the historical, stylistic, iconographic, and material influences of Tibetan thangka painting on Indian Buddhist painting traditions in Ladakh. Through historical overview, comparative visual analysis, field-based observations, and interviews with local practitioners and scholars, the study identifies channels of cultural exchange, mechanisms of stylistic transmission, and the localized adaptations that have shaped Ladakhi Buddhist art from the 17th century to the present. The study argues that while Tibetan thangka traditions provided a dominant formal grammar and ritual function, Ladakhi painting practices subsequently integrated local materials, Himalayan iconographies, and indigenous aesthetics to produce a distinctive regional idiom. The paper concludes with implications for cultural heritage preservation, museum display, and future research directions.