A question I hear often from people new to Himalayan art: should the first thangka be a mandala or a deity?

A mandala is a geometric map of an enlightened world, a circle inside a square with gates on four sides. It works well in modern homes and offices because it looks balanced and calm, and it is often used as a focus for meditation. A deity thangka, such as Buddha Shakyamuni, Green Tara or Chenrezig, is more personal and is usually chosen for practice or devotion.

Neither is wrong. Choose the one you feel drawn to, and look for clean linework and natural colours. To compare both types side by side, Buy authentic thangka painting has a good range of hand-painted mandalas and deity paintings from Nepal.