Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia
A Sikkim thangka painter who has painted monastery murals and taught about 350 poor children free since 1982, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2022.
Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia is a master of thangka, the Tibetan Buddhist art of scroll painting, and a respected teacher of the craft. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of art, from Sikkim [1].
Learning the art
Bhutia was born on 13 May 1959 in Sakyong, a hamlet in West Sikkim [2]. Inspired by his father, he was drawn to art early, and trained from the age of 15 under the painters Phuntsok Sangpo and Zapa Acho [2]. Over the years he developed a style of his own [2].
A school for poor children
In 1982 he started a training centre where he teaches thangka painting, mostly to poor children, with free lodging and meals [2]. He has taught about 350 students so far [2].
Murals across the Himalaya
His thangkas are found in Buddhist centres in North America, Europe and Asia [2]. He has painted large murals in Sikkim’s monasteries, including Pemayangtse at Pelling, Tashi Choling at Khecheopalri, Allay Gompa at Ravangla and two monasteries at Namchi, as well as at Hanle in Ladakh, and has worked at Swayambhu and Boudha in Nepal [2]. He has shown his work at the Surajkund Mela, the India International Trade Fair and abroad [2].
He received a National Award for handicrafts in 1981 from President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, and the title Kala Nidhi at Surajkund in 2006 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2022: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2022: citation for Khandu Wangchuk Bhutia — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 24 October 2026.
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