Jiwaji University, Gwalior, India
The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the Thangka paintings and perception of tourists visiting Sikkim. It also extends the emblematic significance of these types of paintings both traditionally and culturally as majority of inbound tourists lacks the understanding of such mythological characters. This research has attempted to bridge the gaps of tourists’ understanding of Thangka paintings and the underlying authenticity of those. Through an interactionist approach to the gap, this research has adopted an ethnographic methodological approach to broadly understand the present perceptions of visiting tourists. A total of 18 highly skilled thangka painters were interviewed during the process of data collection. Consequently, through a thematic analysis approach the verbatim transcripts were analyzed and represented in the findings. Interestingly, the findings has uncovered many captivating specifics about the realism and perception of tourists about Thangka paintings. The findings of the current study has wide opened the future niche research possibilities related to understanding of various values.
Thangka Paintings, Ethnography, Tourism, Tourist Perception, Sikkim, India
