Year: 2005
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: Much of what is generally considered to represent the earliest heritage of Ladakh cannot be securely dated.It even cannot be said with certainty when Buddhism reached Ladakh.Similarly, much of what is recorded in inscriptions and texts concerning the period preceding the establishment of the Ladakhi kingdom in the late 15 1h century is either fragmentary or legendary.Thus, only a comparative study of these records together 'with the architectural and artistic heritage can provide more secure glimpses into the early history of Buddhism in Ladakh.This study outlines the most crucial historical issues and questions from the point of view of an art historian and archaeologist, drawing on a selection of exemplary monuments and o~jects, the historical value of which has in many instances yet to be exploited.vVithout aiming to be so comprehensive, the article updates the groundbreaking work of A.H. Francke (particularly 1914, 1926) and Snellgrove & Skorupski (1977, 1980) regarding the early Buddhist cultural heritage of the central region of Ladakh on the basis that the Alchi group of monuments l has to be attributed to the late 12 and early 13 th centuries AD rather than the 11 th or 12 th centuries as previously assumed (Goepper 1990).It also collects support for the new attribution published by different authors since Goepper's primary article.The nmv fairly secure attribution of the Alchi group of monuments shifts the dates by only one century} but has wide repercussions on I This term refers to the early monuments of Alchi, rvIangyu and Sumda, which are located in a narrow geographic area, have a common social, cultural and artistic background, and may be attIibuted to within a relatively narrow timeframe.
Source: BRILL eBooks
Author: Christian Luczanits
Language: English
Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1484569898