The Temples of Lhasa is a comprehensive survey of historic Buddhist sites in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The study is based on the Tibetan Heritage Fund's official five-year architectural conservation project in Tibet, during which the author and his team had unlimited access to the buildings studied. The documented sites span the entire known history of Tibetan Buddhist art and architecture from the 7th to the 21st centuries
The book is divided into thirteen chapters, covering all the major and minor temples in historic Lhasa. These include some of Tibet's oldest and most revered sites, such as the Lhasa Tsukla-khang and Ramoch?, as well as lesser-known but highly important sites such as the J?bumgang Lha-khang, Meru Dratsang and Meru Nyingpa. It is illustrated with numerous color plates taken over a period of roughly 15 years from the mind-1980s to today and is augmented with rare photographs and reproductions of Tibetan paintings. This book also provides detailed architectural drawings and maps made by the project. Each site has been completely surveyed, documented and analyzed. The history of each site has been written � often for the first time � based on source texts and survey results, as well as up-to-date technology such as carbon dating, dendrochronology, and satellite data. Tibetan source texts and oral accounts have also been used to reconstruct the original design of the sites. Matthew Akester has contributed translations of Tibetan source texts, including excerpts from the writings of the Fifth and Thirteenth Dalai Lamas.
This documentation of Tibetan Buddhist temple buildings is the most detailed of its kind, and is the first professional study of some of Tibet's most significant religious buildings. The comparative analysis of Tibetan Buddhist architecture covers 13 centuries of architectural history in Tibet.
The Temples of Lhasa: Tibetan Buddhist Architecture from the 7th to the 21st Centuries, Vol. 1 of the Tibet Heritage Fund Conservation Inventory, Andre Alexander, Serindia, Hardcover, 2005, 250 Pages, $65.00
Andre Alexander first became involved with urban rehabilitation and historic preservation when he studied history in his native (West) Berlin. He then lived as author, photographer, and catoonist in Hong Kong, Tokyo and other parts of Asia before settling in Lhasa to found a project to document and preserve the historice centre of Lhasa in 1993. Together with one of the project's co-founders, Pimpim de Azevedo, he studied traditional Tibetan building technology with one of Lhasa's last surviving master craftsmen. Since 1996 he has codirected the Tibet Heritage Fund and has been involved in the planning and implementation of conservation and rehabilitation projects inparts of Tibet, Beijing, Mongolia, and Ladakh. He also worked with universities in Germany, Norway, China and the US.
8 Foreword
11 Preface The Tibet Heritage Fund Project
Introduction
15 Purpose and Scope of the Present Study
19 Setting
23 Notes on the Fabric of Central Tibetan Monastic Architecture
27 LhasaTsukla-khang An Indian Vihara in Tibet
75 Ramoche The "Chinese Tiger"
91 The Rigsum Gonpo Shrines of the Eight Directions An Ancient Geomantic Scheme
103 Meru Nyingpa Imperial-period Chapel and Lhasa Seat of the State Oracle
125 Meru Dra-tsang Traces of an Early Monastery
143 Tsepak Lha-khang
151 Ani Tsamkhung Lhasa's Principal Nunnery
157 Gyume Dra-tsang Tantric College of the Gelukpa School
Barkor Jampa Lha-khang and the two Barkor Mani Lha-khang-s
165 The Maitreya Watching the Market
168 Barkor Mani Lha-khang
170 Barkor Mani Lha-khang Shar
173 Tsen-khang-s of Lhasa Institutionalized and Private Oracle Chapels
175 Darpo-ling Tsen-khang
183 Karma-sha Tsen-khang
191 Rabsel Tsen-khang
195 Trode Khang-sar
201 Banak Shol Gyel-khang
207 The Regency Seats
209 Tengye-ling
223 Shide Dra-tsang
241 Tsemon-ling
259 Jebum-gang Lha-khang Perect Mandala in Imperfect Condition
271 Shitro Lha-khang Private Nyingma-pa Temple Turned Noodle Shop
277 Conclusion
284 Building Typology
286 Appendix translations of Tibetan source texts by Matthew Akester
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