“Preaching the preachers” is a unique composition of Samundra Man Singh Shrestha which comes from the early Newa art, where the figures are interactive in the space. Shrestha has used acrylic and oil color to the perfect blend. This painting is also one of the biggest painting of the artist till date.
It depicts the preaching of the four Bhairavs / Yakshyas (to the right) by the preacher Karunamaya Lokeshwara (to the left), with Buddha (Shakyamuni), Dharma (Pragyaparmita) and Sanga (Khadchery) as witness (on the top) of painting showcasing complete Newar Buddhist iconography.
Shrestha has tried to show the impact on our heritage by the great earthquake that struck Nepal on April 2015. Thus, we can see the crack effects in the painting, which reflects the condition of the many precious works of art in the valley.
In a different opinion, this painting recreates a story of the Rato Machindranath preaching the four Bhairavs which represents the four wheels of the Rato Machindranath Chariot.
This painting had been exhibited in the solo exhibition “Embodied Enlightenment” of the artist in the Nepal Art Council, Babarmahal from 30 May to 9 June 2016.