"During the 10th century Buddhism blossomed in the far west of Tibet into unexpected magnificence and greatness. In breathtaking views of temple complexes that are no longer accessible to Western cameras, this volume shows for the first time anywhere in the world the masterly relics of that incomparable era that have survived to the present day, from both the Indian and the Tibetan side of the old Kingdom of Guge. The rulers of the Kingdom of Guge were patrons of the arts who invited Indian scholars to translate the texts of the Buddha into Tibetan, thereby preserving the teachings. At the same time they had a large number of temple complexes built and ornamented to create unique artworks by master craftsmen from Kashmir. Until well into the 17th century Guge experienced two golden ages in which the West Tibetan artistic style was perfected in monasteries like Tholing, Tsaparang and Dungkar. Together with "TABO -- Gods of Light: The Indo-Tibetan Masterpiece" this volume represents a unique overall view of the monastery art of Western Tibet"--Publisher's website.

Garland of Visions explores the generative relationships between artistic intelligence and tantric vision practices in the construction and circulation of visual knowledge in medieval South Asia. Shifting away from the traditional connoisseur approach, Jinah Kim instead focuses on the materiality of painting: its mediums, its visions, and especially its colors. She argues that the adoption of a special type of manuscript called pothi enabled the material translation of a private and internal experience of "seeing" into a portable device. These mobile and intimate objects then became important conveyors of many forms of knowledge—ritual, artistic, social, scientific, and religious—and spurred the spread of visual knowledge of Indic Buddhism to distant lands. By taking color as the material link between a vision and its artistic output, Garland of Visions presents a fresh approach to the history of Indian painting.

During the period of disintegration of Tibet, in 923, the Water-Sheep year, Kyide Nyimagon, the undisputed lineage-holder of the Three Great Kings of Tibet, went first to Pureng Ralairu. In 934 of the Wood-horse year, Rala Kharmar was built. Gradually, Nyizung Kukhar was built, and after introducing a new law, Purang, Guge, Maryul and other areas were brought under his control. His son Thri Tashi Gon built Guge fort after carving the blue slate hill of Guge. Since then, 26 Kings ruled there for more than 700 years forming thereby a Guge kingdom of what came to be known as the Cap-size Small Kingdom in Upper Tibet. The author was born in Ruchang, Ngari of Tibet. He escaped in 1959 and sought political asylum in 1960. Graduated from Tibet Homes Foundation in 1973 and obtained BA Degree from Punjab University in 1977. He joined CTA as a junior clerk on 15th June 1977 and at the time of his retirement from CTA on 15th December 2012, he was working as general secretary. He has also authored other books like History of Ngari, Rosary of white Pearl a youngster’s ornament in Tibetan and Mount Kailash the White Mirror, Ngari Tibet in English.

Winner, 2018 Edward Cameron Dimock, Jr. Prize in the Indian Humanities Buddhist representations of the cosmos across nearly two thousand years of history in Tibet, Nepal, and India show that cosmology is a rich language for the expression of diverse religious ideas, with cosmological thinking at the center of Buddhist thought, art, and practice. In Creating the Universe, Eric Huntington presents examples of visual art and architecture, primary texts, ritual ideologies, and material practices—accompanied by extensive explanatory diagrams—to reveal the immense complexity of cosmological thinking in Himalayan Buddhism. Employing comparisons across function, medium, culture, and history, he exposes cosmology as a fundamental mode of engagement with numerous aspects of religion, from preliminary lessons to the highest rituals for enlightenment. This wide-ranging work will interest scholars and students of many fields, including Buddhist studies, religious studies, art history, and area studies. Art History Publication Initiative. For more information, visit http://arthistorypi.org/books/creating-the-universe

A magisterial history of the Himalaya: an epic story of peoples, cultures, and adventures among the world’s highest mountains. For centuries, the unique and astonishing geography of the Himalaya has attracted those in search of spiritual and literal elevation: pilgrims, adventurers, and mountaineers seeking to test themselves among the world’s most spectacular and challenging peaks. But far from being wild and barren, the Himalaya has been home to a diversity of indigenous and local cultures, a crucible of world religions, a crossroads for trade, and a meeting point and conflict zone for empires past and present. In this landmark work, nearly two decades in the making, Ed Douglas makes a thrilling case for the Himalaya’s importance in global history and offers a soaring account of life at the "roof of the world." Spanning millennia, from the earliest inhabitants to the present conflicts over Tibet and Everest, Himalaya explores history, culture, climate, geography, and politics. Douglas profiles the great kings of Kathmandu and Nepal; he describes the architects who built the towering white Stupas that distinguish Himalayan architecture; and he traces the flourishing evolution of Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism that brought Himalayan spirituality to the world. He also depicts with great drama the story of how the East India Company grappled for dominance with China’s emperors, how India fought Mao’s Communists, and how mass tourism and ecological transformation are obscuring the bloody legacy of the Cold War. Himalaya is history written on the grandest yet also the most human scale—encompassing geology and genetics, botany and art, and bursting with stories of courage and resourcefulness.

Since Biblical times and throughout the Solomonic succession, Ethiopia's gold mines have continuously been in the respective rulers' hands. Therefore, raids on the gold shipments to the capital were always a significant problem. Marauding bandits known as 'Shiftas' had captured large amounts of modern firearms from the dissolving Italian military colonial forces in 1941, thus dramatically raising the risk of such transports. Most directly affected was the gold mine of Shakiso in the region of Sidamo. With the end of the war and the return of Emperor Haile Selassie, that goldmine was once again highly productive under the supervision of a new expatriate manager. As a result, the mine's yield increased, and the gold bullion shipments to Addis Ababa started again at regular intervals. With copious and regular plunder available, the raids of the 'Shiftas' became increasingly bold. A runway for airplanes near the mine seemed to be the answer. But that too was fraught with problems during the tropical rainy season—and air transport brought yet another problem when a pilot, moved by the love of a woman, decided to steal the bullion on his last flight. Long-forgotten fuel reserves on a former airfield of the Italians allow him a stopover to leave Ethiopia far behind and out of the authorities' reach. However, on that day, a front of thunderstorms between him and the fuel supplies rapidly developed. In this situation, doubts about the success of the hazardous venture seem appropriate.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.