For more than two millennia Buddhism shaped the cultures of Central, South, Southeast, and East Asia. Each territory had its own peculiar way of developing representations of the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, and a variety of guardian deities and saints.
Of particular importance is the representation of the Buddha and his teachings in an iconic form in the shape of an impassable building. Called Stupa in Sanskrit, and Chorten in Tibetan, these structures not only characterize the urban space of the Newars in the Kathmandu Valley. They also mark the access to Tibetan villages in northern Nepal, line the trails across high passes, and stud topographically prominent places. By their thousands, they transform wilderness into a landscape that promises shelter, protection, and well-being.
584 maps, architectural drawings, and photographs, produced from 1970 to 2008, document the rich cultural heritage of the Tibetan and Tamang enclaves along the range of the high Himalaya.
Chorten in Nepal: Architecture and Buddhist Votive Practice in the Himalaya, Niels Gutschow, DOM Publishers, Hardcover (10.5" x 8.5"), 580 pages, $148.00
Niels Gutschow, born in Hamburg in 1941, studied architecture in Darmstadt and completed his PhD on Japanese cities in 1973. Gutschow lives and works in Abtsteinach, Germany and Bhaktapur, Nepal.
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CONTENTS: Chorten in Nepal
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7
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Foreword
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Introduction
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13
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Stupas, Caityas and Chorten in Nepal
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35
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Protection and blessing -- the Triple Protection
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41
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The building of a Chorten
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56
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Chorten in the context of the Bon religion
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58
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The architecture of Chorten
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62
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Further reading
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PART I
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65
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Mustang
Introduction
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79
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Panchgaon
Cimang, Tsherok, Marpha, Shang
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103
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Baragaon
Dangkardzong, Phelag, Pigling, Lubrak, Kag, Khyinga, Tiri, Dzar, Dzong, Purang, Chongkor, Putra
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203
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Shoyul
Taye, Tshug (Braga, Tsekyab, Kyangma), Te, Tshognam, Tsele, Gyaga, Samar, Congzhi
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269
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Lower Lo
Gelung, Gemi, Drakmar, Tsarang, Lo Gekar, Monthang
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347
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Upper Lo
Tshonup-Tshosher: Namgyal, Thekhar, Nyanol, Dhuk, Gom, Nyiphu, Garphu, Arka
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367
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Eastern Lo: Shari
Dri, Zurgang, Gara, Luri, Tangye
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PART II
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| 399 |
Dolpo-Phoksumdo
Tsho, Pugmo |
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PART III |
| 427 |
Mugu
Kimri, Kari, Puwa, Kartike, Mangri, Wangri |
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PART IV |
| 477 |
Humla
Kemi, Yalbang, Yangar, Muchu, Tumkot, Halji
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PART V |
| 499 |
Nyishang - Manang
Mano (Manang), Bo Dzong, Braga, Mugje, Humde, Pisang, Ghyaru, Koto |
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PART VI |
| 537 |
Western and Eastern Tamang
Laba, Sertung, Tipling, Balchi, Chilime, Yarsa, Thulo Sailung, Pakhar, Bigu |
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| 569 |
Endnotes |
| 573 |
Bibliography |
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