Early West Tibetan Buddhist Monuments

This edited volume with 16 original contributions is devoted to early, 10 th13 th-century Buddhist monuments of historical Western Tibet. The thematic focus of all contributions is related to the establishment and spread of monastic Buddhism in the West Tibet kingdom (c. 9071088), in particular the foundation of Buddhist monasteries and the role played by the state, the royal lineage, and allied aristocratic clans. The results are, on the one hand, based on in-depth interdisciplinary field studies in Ladakh, Spiti, Kinnaur, Tsamda und Purang (areas today partly on Chinese, partly on Indian territory), on the other hand on the critical edition and analysis of hitherto unknown or inaccessible historiographical texts, among others of works by the monk-scholar Guge Pandita Drakpa Gyaltsen (14151486 or 1498), which are dedicated partly to the foundation phase of the West Tibetan kingdom and the royal monk Yeshe Ö (9471019), the leading religio-political figure in Western Tibet in the 10 th/11 th century. The studies focus on the archaeology, architecture, art history and foundation phase of the monastery of Nyarma (10 th century) (Ladakh), in addition on stelae in Purang and Tsamda dating to the 9 th and 10 th centuries, newly discovered early murals at Tabo monastery in Spiti, illuminated Buddhist manuscripts from Tabo and Pooh (in Upper Kinnaur), as well as wall- paintings and accompanying inscriptions in the Zhag cave temple (Tsamda) from the 13 th century. This volume contributes significantly to the wider and deeper understanding of the religious, cultural, political and social developments of the entire West Tibetan language area, in particular during the formative phases of the West Tibetan kingdom from the 10 th to the 13 th centuries.