Nepal, Kathmandu, Boudinath Stupa. Detail of a Thanka, a religious painting showing the life of the Buddha at Boudinath. A thangka is a complicated, composite three-dimensional object consisting of: a picture panel which is painted or embroidered, a textile mounting; and one or more of the following: a silk cover, leather corners, wooden dowels at the top and bottom and metal or wooden decorative knobs on the bottom dowel.