Art and Devotion at a Buddhist Temple in the Indian Himalaya

Melissa R. Kerin

Description

Edward C. Dimock, Jr., Prize for the Indian Humanities, American Institute of Indian Studies

Sixteenth-century wall paintings in a Buddhist temple in the Tibetan cultural zone of northwest India are the focus of this innovative and richly illustrated study. Initially shaped by one set of religious beliefs, the paintings have since been reinterpreted and retraced by a later Buddhist community, subsumed within its religious framework and communal memory. Melissa Kerin traces the devotional, political, and artistic histories that have influenced the paintings' production and reception over the centuries of their use. Her interdisciplinary approach combines art historical methods with inscriptional translation, ethnographic documentation, and theoretical inquiry to understand religious images in context.

List of Illustrations
Technical Notes

Introduction
1. Nako's Socio-Political History and Artistic Heritage
2. Forgetting to Remember: Gyapagpa Temple's Shifting Identity
3. Mapping Drigung Activity in Nako and the Western Himalaya
4. Gyapagpa's Painting Style and its Antecendents
5. Origin and Meaning of a Renascent Painting Tradition
Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• HISTORY
• History of art
• Asian art
• Buddhism
• General officer
• South
• Tibetan
• Tibetan Buddhism
• History of Asia
• Asian
• Art
• General
• Asia
• India

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 06 juillet 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780253013095
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Art and Devotion at a Buddhist Temple in the Indian Himalaya
Contemporary Indian Studies
Published in association with the American Institute of Indian Studies
Recipient of the Edward Cameron Dimock, Jr. Prize in the Indian Humanities, awarded by the American Institute of Indian Studies and published with the Institute s generous support.
ART AND DEVOTION AT A
BUDDHIST
TEMPLE
IN THE INDIAN HIMALAYA
MELISSA R. KERIN
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
2015 by Melissa R. Kerin
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 978-0-253-01306-4 (cloth)
ISBN 978-0-253-01309-5 (ebook)
1 2 3 4 5 20 19 18 17 16 15
To my beloved Elsa
CONTENTS

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Note on Transliteration
Introduction
1 Nako s Sociopolitical History and Artistic Heritage
2 Forgetting to Remember: Gyapagpa Temple s Shifting Identity
3 Mapping Drigung Activity at Nako and in the Western Himalaya
4 Gyapagpa Temple s Painting Style and Its Antecedents
5 Origin and Meaning of a Revival Painting Tradition
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Illustrations
All photographs are by John Henry Rice unless noted as the following:
MRK: Melissa R. Kerin
RNL: Rob N. Linrothe
WHAV: Western Himalayan Archive, Vienna
Plates
1. Nako Village with a view of the lake. MRK
2. Exterior of Nako s Rgya phags pa (Gyapagpa) temple. WHAV
3. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: Achi close-up
4. Gyapagpa Temple, east wall
5. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: four-armed Mah k la
6. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: six-armed Mah k la
7. Gyapagpa Temple, east wall: N g rjuna portrait
8. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: Amit yus
9. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: detail of Vajradhara s face
10. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: detail of Vajradhara s torso
11. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: Praj p ramit s head with crown
12. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: Achi s face
13. Gyapagpa Temple, east wall: commentator
14. Tholing, Red Temple: white subsidiary deity. WHAV
15. Tabo, Golden Temple: white subsidiary bodhisattva
16. Tabo, Golden Temple kyamuni Buddha
Figures
0.1. Map of Khu nu (Kinnaur), Ladakh, and Mnga ris (Ngari)
0.2. Plan of Nako s religious compound. WHAV
0.3. Map of Ladakh, Kinnaur, and Ngari
1.1. Map of villages researched in Kinnaur and Spiti
1.2. Inside Chango s Dung gyur (Tungyur)
1.3. Village of Dankar. RNL
1.4. Dankar, Nangasan Temple, Tsongkapa
1.5. Dankar, Nangasan Temple, Brug pa (Drukpa) lineage
1.6. Dankar, Nangasan Temple, Guru Rimpoche
1.7. Kibber, Guru Rimpoche wall painting
1.8. Nako, Upper Tungyur Temple. MRK
1.9. Nako, Upper Tungyur Temple: interior with prayer wheel
1.10. Site plan of Nako s temple compound. WHAV
1.11. Nako, plans of Upper (Gong ma) Temple on left and Gyapagpa Temple on right with st pa ( Mchod rten ) in front. WHAV
1.12. Section of Gyapagpa and st pa. WHAV
2.1. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: Achi on white horse
2.2. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: Achi inscription
2.3. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: Jig rten mgon po (Jigten Gonpo)
2.4. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: Jigten Gonpo inscription
2.5. Schematic drawing of Bri gung (Drigung) lineage. Gyapagpa Temple, Nako
2.6. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: lineage portraits circled
2.7. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: Chos rje d rma (Choje D rma)
2.8. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: close-up of inscription
2.9. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: lineage portraits circled
2.10. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: fifth lineage portrait
2.11. Schematic drawing of west wall
2.12. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: Achi attendant, Dkar mo (Karmo)
2.13. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: Achi attendant, Rdor rje chen mo (Dorje Chenmo)
2.14. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: Vai rava a on lion
2.15. Gyapagpa Temple, west wall: Golden Vai rava a (Jambhala)
2.16. Schematic drawing of north wall with Mah siddhas
2.17. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: Old N g rjuna portrait
2.18. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: inscription
2.19. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: Mah siddha Vir pa
2.20. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: Mah siddha Indrabh ti inscription
2.21. Gyapagpa Temple, east wall: Mah siddha Kukkuripa
2.22. Schematic drawing of east wall with Six Ornaments and Two Supreme Ones
2.23. Gyapagpa Temple, east wall: Thogs med ( rya Asa ga) portrait
2.24. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: Maitreya attendant
2.25. Schematic drawing of south wall
2.26. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: inscription
2.27. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: inscription
4.1. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: detail of Vajradhara s drapery folds
4.2. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: detail of Vajradhara s crown
4.3. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: Praj p ramit
4.4. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: Praj p ramit s hand
4.5. Gyapagpa Temple, east wall: kyamuni Buddha s head
4.6. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: Buddha A
4.7. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: Buddha B
4.8. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: white attendant figure
4.9. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: blue attendant figure
4.10. Gyapagpa Temple, north wall: white attendant face
4.11. Gyapagpa Temple, east wall: monastic attendant figure
4.12. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: sixth lineage portrait
4.13. Gyapagpa Temple, south wall: close-up of sixth lineage portrait
4.14. Gyapagpa Temple, east wall: detail of three-quarter profile of commentator
4.15. Tholing, Red Temple, north wall of apse: Vajrasattva. WHAV
4.16. Tholing, Red Temple, north wall of apse: blue subsidiary deity. WHAV
4.17. Tabo, Golden Temple: Vairocana
4.18. Tabo, Golden Temple: architectural structure of Vairocana s thronebase
4.19. Tsaparang, Red Temple: detail of thronebase. RNL
4.20. Tholing, Red Temple: detail of thronebase. WHAV
4.21. Tsaparang, Red Temple: kyamuni Buddha. RNL
4.22. Tsaparang, Red Temple: Buddha head. MRK
4.23. Tsaparang, Red Temple: White Tara. RNL
4.24. Tholing, Red Temple: face of bodhisattva Vajrapani. WHAV
4.25. Tholing, Red Temple: offering deity. WHAV
4.26. Tabo, Golden Temple: kyamuni Buddha head
4.27. Tholing, Red Temple: bodhisattva Vajrapani figure. WHAV
4.28. Tsaparang, Red Temple: Ati a historical portrait. MRK
4.29. Tsaparang, Red Temple: green attendant figure. MRK
4.30. Tabo, Golden Temple: attendant to Medicine Buddha
4.31. Tabo, Golden Temple: attendant to Amit bha
4.32. Tabo, Golden Temple: monastic attendant
4.33. Tholing, Red Temple: subsidiary bodhisattva. WHAV
4.34. Tabo, Golden Temple: Vajradhara s dhoti
4.35. Tabo, Cave Temple: subsidiary deity
4.36. Tsaparang, Red Temple: deity with crown. RNL
4.37. Tabo, Cave Temple, central (north) wall
4.38. Tabo, Cave Temple, west wall: Avalokite vara
4.39. Tabo, Cave Temple: attendant figure
5.1. Tabo, Maitreya Temple: Green Tara
5.2. Tabo, Maitreya Temple: six-armed figure
5.3. Tabo s st pa ( Mchod rten )
5.4. Tholing, Ma ala Temple. MRK
5.5. Tabo, Du khang (Dukhang): offering deity
5.6. Tabo, Cella ambulatory in Dukhang ( Du khang): Mah bodhisattva re in
5.7. Tabo, Cella ambulatory: Mah bodhisattva s dhoti
5.8. Tholing, Red Temple: subsidiary deity s dhoti. WHAV
5.9. Tabo, Golden Temple: close-up of Maitreya s dhoti
Acknowledgments
Many people have offered their guidance and support over the years it has taken me to bring this book to fruition. The two people who stand out most are Professor Deborah Klimburg-Salter (Universit t Wien, Kunstgeschichte) and Professor Michael Meister (University of Pennsylvania, Department of the History of Art). Only now-as a professor, advisor, and researcher in my own right-can I truly appreciate all that they have done for me. On the other side of the desk, as it were, I realize the fine balance of challenging, encouraging, and guiding students as they shape and define their projects. Michael s and Deborah s insights, warnings, questions, suggestions, and challenges helped me contour my project, but also gave me a solid conceptual and methodological foundation from which I could continue working on this material. I cannot express my gratitude enough for their counsel and continued support.
Many colleagues in India and Tibet made my fieldwork productive and fruitful. The people of Nako, and in particular Lama ji, kindly answered my questions, invited me into their homes and temples, offered me tea, and openly shared with me their information and stories about Nako and its artistic heritage. P