Thankas originated in the 13th Century in Tibetan Monasteries.  They are basically intricate paintings done on silk and are used mostly as tools during meditation.  Thankas are used in the teaching of young monks to learn the history of Buddhism and to learn about the early deities.  These paintings usually feature a central figure of a deity.  This center figure is then surrounded geometrically by smaller paintings possibly capturing aspects of the central figure or other historical figures or incidents from the central figure’s life.