Accompanying an exhibition to be held in New York during late fall of 1998, Sacred Visions is a superbly illustrated volume of art works from the 11th to the mid-15th centuries which includes scholarly essays that relate to the paintings to be displayed.

"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.

This Catalogue profusely illustrated with over 500 colour plates can be claimed to be a first-hand attempt concentrating mainly on the hitherto unknown and unexplored folk and tribal art objects.

Images and descriptions of art objects that represent the scope of the museum's collecting.

The world-famous Buddhist monastery of Alchi in Ladakh, India, is the best-preserved temple complex in the Himalayas. Proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in 1998, the monastery's artworks reveal influences from India and Tibet across Central Asia and Iran, even as far back as Ancient Greece. Housing thousands of rare paintings and sculptures from the area dating back to the eleventh century, it provides fascinating insight into the spiritual and secular life of medieval Kashmir and Western Tibet. The Dalai Lama has authorized the publication of images of these Buddhist masterpieces for the first and only time. Beautifully photographed by Peter van Ham, the images in this volume capture the miniaturesque delicacy and broad range of color of these precious works. With essays by renowned Tibetologist Amy Heller, and a foreward by His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself, this once-in-a-lifetime volume offers fascinating new insights--including a large panorama double gate fold--into one of the most beautiful monasteries in the Himalayas.

"The monastery of Tabo lies in northern India in the secluded Spiti valley, which was at one time part of the ancient kingdom of Western Tibet. The oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclave in India and the Himalayas, Tabo's historical role as an intermediary between India and Tibet and the extraordinary beauty of its frescoes make it a place of unique importance. The main temple of Tabo is one of the masterpieces of Indian and Tibetan art. Built in 996 and renovated in 1042, the temple is remarkable not only for the exceptional quality of its sculpture and the decorative paintings that cover every surface, but also for the numerous portraits of royal patrons, members of the local nobility, and ecclesiastical figures, all identified by name. Tabo played a pivotal role in the history of Buddhism in the tenth and eleventh centuries, when Tibetan monks and Indian pandits studied together and translated scripture from Sanskrit into Tibetan. This meeting of trans-Himalayan cultures, and the devotions of their faithful, are vividly preserved in the magnificent paintings and sculptures that adorn the original temple and the monastery that surrounds it."--Amazon.

First published in 2002. Following twenty-five years in the Himalayas tirelessly documenting different forms of vernacular architecture and different local customs and beliefs as reflected in material objects, this book is the result. The arrangement of the works selected for the present show and for the accompanying catalogue is by region in a rough chronological order. The plates within carry inscribed a local traditional universe, for the better understanding of which the expert remarks have been added.