Portrait of Swami Mahatabkak – saint of Kashmir

When I was in India in 2022, I saw a small captivating photo of my spiritual teacher’s teacher. His eyes looked straight at me, intense but compassionate, unlike any picture I had seen of him before. I had to paint a portrait of him in large.

Swami Mahatabkak was a revered saint from Kashmir and the teacher of Swami Lakshmanjoo, whose teacher was Swami Ram of Kashmir. They are part of a line of masters of Kashmir Shaivism that has descended through Abhinavagupta directly from Lord Shiva.

“Since its beginning, the sacred lineage of Kashmir Shaiva Masters has remained unbroken, yet due to the rise and fall of Kashmir over the past 700 years, it has been practically hidden from view.” source

You can see the process of the portrait painting here… where you can watch a video to illustrate the process.

Size 20×24×1.5 inch, acrylic on stretched canvas, painted around the edges, ready to hang.