Thangka is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton with silk appliqué, usually representing a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. When not in use, thangkas are usually preserved unframed and rolled up, mounted on a textile backing in the style of Chinese scroll paintings, with a front silk cover. Thangkas have a variety of uses, but they are mostly used as a means of gaining merit, in death rituals, during meditation, and in Buddhist ceremonies. The painters work for years and study the thangka, which is also known as the most difficult painting to learn.