Early matters: essays on the history of Buddhist Art in Zangskar, Western Himalaya

Book Details

• Publisher: ADITYA PRAKASHAN Indological Publishers & Booksellers

• Language: English

• Edition: New Delhi

• Year: 2024

• ISBN-13: 9788196871567

• ISBN-10: 8196871562

• Subject: Fine Arts, Buddhism

About the Book
This book offers an in-depth study of Buddhist art in the remote valleys of Zangskar, a region in Ladakh, northern India. It argues that Zangskar produced a rich corpus of understudied Buddhist art—including architecture, sculpture, and painting—and demonstrates how this body of work informs the early visual culture of the western Himalaya. The text challenges the common reduction of Zangskar to a miniature Tibet, emphasizing the agency of local artists and their interactions with surrounding regions, including Kashmir, Khotan, Central Asia, northern and eastern India, Tibet, and western Nepal.

The volume is divided into three parts: Part I addresses theoretical and methodological concerns, reevaluating regional nomenclature and the influence of Tibetologist Giuseppe Tucci. Part II analyzes early Buddhist reliefs, figural carvings, and paintings, including the Esoteric Buddhist program at Malakartse Khar. Part III examines Mahasiddha stone carvings, the rediscovery and restoration of art in Karsha village, and a fifteenth- to sixteenth-century painting of Sarasvati in Phugtal Monastery. With 585 illustrations, the book provides meticulous documentation of cultural heritage currently threatened by climate change and inadequate protection.