People starting out with Himalayan art often get stuck between two kinds of thangka. A deity thangka shows a single figure, such as the Buddha, Tara or Avalokiteshvara, with a clear face and posture that becomes the focus of the whole room. A mandala thangka is a geometric design of circles and squares, seen from above, that represents the palace of a deity and is used as a map for meditation.

Deity paintings feel more personal and are easier to connect with if you have a favourite figure or a family tradition. Mandalas suit modern interiors very well because of their symmetry, and they look good in both large and small sizes. Buy authentic thangka painting from a source that can tell you who the figure or mandala is, which school the painter follows, and whether the colours are natural minerals, whichever kind you lean towards.

A good way to decide is to spend a few minutes with pictures of each and notice which one you keep coming back to. That feeling usually matters more than any rule.