Buddhist Archaeological Monuments of Lahaul Valley

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Lahaul Valley, situated amid the high and barren Himalayan Mountain ranges, remains secluded and peaceful, and the inhabitants, having survived in the face of a harsh environment, have developed and given protection to their unique cultural heritage. Here in this monograph, an attempt has been made to illustrate the important features by way of photographs of the Buddhist monumental heritages preserved by the local inhabitants of the area for centuries, which will serve as a guide for serious scholars and researchers in carrying out detailed studies in the fields of art, architecture, Thangka paintings, iconography, wall paintings, etc. on the one hand and would be found useful for lay visitors to the valley on the other.

Chhering Dorje (1953) hailing from Lahaul Valley served for more than 34 years in the ASI and retired as Joint Director General in 2013. He had the experience of working in different field of archaeology and heritage management projects in different states and also associated with two GOI Conservation Projects, Ta Prohm Temple complex, Angkor Vat in Cambodia (2003) and Ananda Temple, Bagan in Myanmar (2011). He has to his credit books published on diverse themes; Historical Documents from Western Trans- Himalaya-Lahaul, Zanskar and Ladakh, with Tobdan (1996); Inventory of Monuments and Sites of National Importance, Srinagar Circle, co-editor with others (1998); Moravian Missionaries in Western Trans-Himalaya with Tobdan (2008); Kumbhalgarh: The Pride of Maharanas of Mewar with D.N. Dimri (2008); Monumental Heritage of Pangi: A Forgotten Valley (2013); Kumbhalgarh, (bilingual), with D.N. Dimri (2013); Kangra Fort, with Ashvini Agrawal (2016); Thanesar and its Vicinity with B.M. Pande (2016); Theory and Practice of Heritage Conservation and Restoration of Rashtrapati Niwas, Shimla, (2017); Monumental Heritage of Mandi with B.M. Pande (2021); and Buddhist Monumental Heritage of sTod Valley in Lahul with Tobdan (2021) besides other articles. He was awarded Fellowship by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla (2016-17) and Tagore National Scholarship by Ministry of Culture, GOI (2019-21).

The Buddhist monumental heritage are not merely the center of worship but also are the hub of religious, artistic, social and economic activities and played an important role in preserving Buddhist art and culture. These monasteries represent the finest traditional building technology and craftsmanship and are also best reflected in its monasteries which house amazing collection of metal, wood and clay sculptures; manuscripts; ritual objects and other works of arts of antiquarian value. Equally important traditional hieratic art is that of murals on the walls of the monasteries depicting various themes; religious thangkas on cloths as well as made in appliqué works on silk brocade, in various colours and sizes depicting themes from Buddhist mythology, life history of teachers and saints, arhatas, scenes and events of the life of Buddha, etc., hung in the shrines, monasteries and almost in every Buddhist house in the hilly region. Another traditional art is wood carvings in the wooden galleries and door panels of the monasteries, which are still alive in the hills.

Traditional and historic monumental heritages are an integral part of the environment in which we live and work, and are widely valued for their character, form and local distinctiveness, but are often considered expensive and difficult to maintain. If it is maintained on regular basis with the right skills and the right materials, traditional building fabric is retained its original look and condition. It is our heritage, which draws tourists to our country and also motivates people from one part of the country to visit the other part. This brings economic benefit to the people of the area.

During field visits to the sites, it has been observed that the architectural features of most of the monasteries or shrines have been changed by subsequent repairs and renovation by the village communities as well as by the managements with the financial assistance from the Government agencies. Modern cemented materials have extensively been used in such repairs. At places, the original constructions have pulled down.