Heavenly Himalayas

KEYNOTE: This volume presents for the first time in book form important and largely unknown treasures of Indo-Kashmiri Buddhism. From the first century BCE to the thirteenth century, Kashmir was a thriving centre of Buddhist culture and art. The rise of Islamic peoples led to the destruction of all temples constructed there during the Buddhist era. Yet in the remote Himalayas of Ladakh and other neighbouring locations, a few of these archaeological and artistic treasures are exquisitely preserved and are reproduced here for the first time. This volume takes readers on a journey through these remote sites, focusing especially on the amazing temple complex of Mangyu. The chapels, shrines, and dazzling murals presented here not only reveal much about late Mahayana Buddhism in India--its art, culture, and history--but also help fill a gap in our knowledge of the development of early Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. AUTHOR: Peter Van Ham has been travelling the Himalayas studying early Tibetan cultural sites for more than two decades. He has published numerous books on the subject, including a study of Kashmir-influenced art in temples on the Indo- Tibetan border. With contributions by Rob Linrothe, an art historian who lives in Chicago; Gerald Kozicz, an architect who lives in Graz, Austria; and Amy Heller, a tibetologist who lives in Geneva, Switzerland. Foreword by His Eminence, Jigmed Wangchuk Namgyal, the King of Ladakh. ILLUSTRATIONS: 189 colour illustrations *