Explore new research on the religious and cultural traditions of the Himalayan Buddhist world. Over decades, hundreds of American undergraduates spending a semester abroad have been introduced to Tibetan culture in India, Nepal, and China by Hubert Decleer. A number went on to become prominent scholars in the field at institutions such as Yale, Berkeley, and Georgetown, and as a tribute to him they have put together this collection of cutting-edge research in Himalayan studies, bringing together contributions of this new generation with those of senior researchers in the field. This new research on the religion and culture of the Himalayan Buddhist world spans a broad range of subjects, periods, and approaches, and the diversity and strength of the contributions ensures Himalayan Passages be warmly welcomed by scholars, travelers, and Tibetan Buddhists alike. Highlights include: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. tells the story of Gendun Chopel's unusual visit to Sri Lanka in 1941. Leonard van der Kuijp examines the Bodhicittavivarana, an ancient work on the enlightened resolve to free all beings. Kabir Mansingh Heimsath compares Western and Chinese curatorial approaches to Tibetan modern art. Alexander von Rospatt illuminates the fascinating history and artistic details of the famous Svayambhu stupa in Kathmandu. Sarah H. Jacoby translates the short autobiography of Sera Khandro, the celebrated female Tibetan mystic of a century ago. Additional contributors include Franz-Karl Ehrhard, Ernst Steinkellner, Jacob P. Dalton, Iain Sinclair, Anne Vergati, Punya Prasad Parajuli, and Dominique Townsend.

As a sixteenth century Himalayan mountain girl, Tara knew a husband would be chosen for her. One day, Mughals riding sleek Arabian horses arrived seeking a woman prophesized to be one of the sultan's wives. Fear and excitement mingle in Tara's heart as she realizes she is the chosen one. Tara is taken to live in sultan Ibrahim's desert fortress. Since assuming power at eighteen, Ibrahim had established a vast empire where the arts flourished and religious tolerance meant peace. There, Tara joins Ibrahim's wives, each representing a region and religion, and quickly grows to love the exotic people and their rituals. Ibrahim is consumed by Tara's beauty and passion, and she quickly becomes his exclusive nightly companion. Tara's intelligence bonds her to Ibrahim's very first wife, Kiren. Together, Tara and Kiren serve Ibrahim, Tara as his lover and Kiren as his political advisor. As jealousy simmers among Ibrahim's wives, a southern governor, Bhaji, builds power by encouraging Hindu nationalism against Ibrahim's empire. Working against both time and karma, Tara, Kiren, and Ibrahim must devise a strategy to confront the tide of unrest. The task seems insurmountable as culture, religion, and ethnic politics collide in this riveting story of love, faith, and karmic tragedy.

The Festschrift celebrates Franz-Karl Ehrhard, Professor of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich from 2003 to 2019. Offered on the occasion of his 65th birthday, it comprises 26 papers by friends and colleagues to honour his outstanding and far-reaching contributions to the field of Tibetan Studies. Mirroring Franz-Karl Ehrhard's research interests, the papers centre on the religious and literary traditions of Tibet and the Himalayas, including sacred geography, religious history, philosophy, and studies in textual production and transmission.

Hidden Lands in Himalayan Myth and History showcases recent scholarship, photo essays, maps, and translations about hidden lands (sbas yul) across the Himalaya, from historical and contemporary perspectives.

This book aims to analyze two contrasting trends of integration and rivalry among great powers and regional states of Himalaya. It examines the interactions between the great powers and the small states in the Himalayan region, analyzes the multiple effects of the great power rivalry on the regional cooperation, and predicts the possible directions of the future of the geo-politics and geo-economy in the Himalayan region by incorporating the most recent developments. The main content of the book is divided into 11 parts. The Introduction briefly explains the aims and scope of this book. The following chapter focuses on the Buddhist ties between China and the Himalayan states in the past two millennia and its dual influence in the Himalayan region. The rest 9 chapters provide an in-depth analyses of the security dilemma between China and India, Indian perspectives on China-South Asian relations, Chinese perspectives on U.S. and Japan's engagement with South Asia and Indo-Myanmar relations, and Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal's responses to the regional integration and great power rivalry in the Himalayan region respectively. This is the first study which brings the Himalaya region at the center of geopolitical and geo-economics cooperation and rivalry thus highlighting its significance in Asian politics. It offers a comprehensive analysis of the complicated geo-political and geo-economic competition in the Himalayan region by inviting experts from both South Asia and China to contribute chapters. It also balances the west-centered views on the great power rivalry by introducing cultural perspective and small state perspective. The broad approach adopted in the book with focus on all important countries expands the scope of readership beyond specific academic community. The book will interest academics, policy makers, journalists, general reader and students of Asian politics.

* Winner of the first Barbara Savage Memorial Award * Stunning color photos of the journey * Look into the heart of the top of the world This is the story of two young couples who embarked on a free-form journey through Tibet, Nepal, China, India and Pakistan. Their goal: to circumnavigate the Himalayas by bike, foot, truck by any means necessary, the slope of the world's greatest mountain range their only guide. Along the way they experienced a region steeped in ancient tradition but permanently altered by its confrontation with the 20th century; they discovered all that is exotic and mundane, funny and tragic, and beautiful and brutal about this vast territory. Jeremy Schmidt's humorous, evocative narrative recounts bureaucrats, knife-wielding Khampas, lamas-in-training, and mystics of every stripe. With stunning photographs by Patrick Morrow, Himalayan Passage reveals a place imbued with meaning and reality far beyond anything in the world below: the mysterious, turbulent Himalayas, the gates to God. Also available in hardcover.

The first reference to demonstrate how birds survive the high-altitude Central Asian Flyway and the threats to this unique migration.