Thundering Falcon

The present publication represents the result of a detailed historical-philological and anthropological study dedicated to the history and cult of Khra-`brug ("Thundering Falcon"). It constitutes the ferst serious inquiry into the site`s history, focusing exclusively an this significant religious shrine and pilgrimage site which according to the Tibetan traditon commonly is regarded as the oldest (Buddhist) temple in Tibet. The sanctuary located in the heart of the Yar-lang valley in southem Central Tibet - the cradle of the Tibetan civilization and erstwhile homeland of the Tibetan kings - was erected in the seventh century during the emperor Srong-btsan sgam-po (d. 649 A.D.). Chronologically the temple may have stood out as the immediate predecessor to the contemporary temple sanctuary of Lhasa erected by the same king, the Ra-sa`i `Phrul-snang alias Jo-khang famed as the symbolic centre and national sanctum of Buddhist Tibet. The core part of the book is made up by a number of primary sources that deal with Khra-`brug and which are here presented in extensive annotated translations. These include excerpts gleaned from various historiographical works as well as local documents, one of which is a local pilgrim- guide Khra`brug gnas bshad (dating from the early 2& century) which forms the most important source in the book and which is also reproduced in facsimile. Furthermore, extensive surveys conducted in situ are offered, gleaned from the fand of local oral traditions that still prevail in Khra-`brug and in Yar-lung. They deliver significant new insights and thus appreciably enrich the available data extracted from the written sources. The source material and the comparative analysis offered together open a door to the fascinating world behind the history of this temple, a vista that from a current perspective allows us to appraise and to survey central issues related to politics, religion and a number of arcane cultic taditions in the period from the seventh to the twentieth century. The appendices contain separate studies dedicated to distinct questions related to the history of the temple, sometimes addressing issues going beyond Khra-`trug, such as an extensive discussion of the transmitted lists of the first tempes of the kingdom ascribed to the founder king Srong-btsan sgam-po. Further, a study of the older local historical context, the history of the main protector gods and not least the different (to a certain point still vibrant or revitalized) manifestations of the compelling temple cults which assumed their decisive forms during the epoch of the Fifth Dalai Lama at a point when Khra`brug was transformed into a state temple for the emerging central govemment in Lhasa. Architectural documentations, a number of catograhical sketches based an satellite photos, an extensive photographical documentation (both old and rare pictures and numerous recent photos) and not least the accompanying DVD (with recent documentary films devoted to the temple and its most important annual festival) make this book an engrossing joy to read and a feast for the eyes both to any advanced scholar and to an interested lay audience. The index include all Tibetan and Sanscrit names (persons and places) and the text titles which are cited in the sources translated.