saspol caves a0 - archresearch.tugraz.at · buddhist architecture in the western himalaya the...

Buddhist Architecture in the Western Himalaya

The Drikung Kagyu (’Bri-gung bKa’-brgyud) school of Tibetan Buddhism was foun-ded at Drikung in Central Tibet by the Drikung Rinpo-che Jigten Gönpo (’Bri-gung Rin-po-che ’Jig-rten-mgon-po, 1143–1217). Focusing on meditative prac-tice, the Drikung school also concentrated its activities from its earliest days in the region around Mount Kai-lash in West Tibet.While after a century of poli-tical dominance the school lost its primary position in Central Tibet, in Ladakh it has continued to be promi-nent to the present day. The numerous monuments pertaining to this school pre-served in Ladakh date from the earliest phase of Drikung influence to the present day, making the Drikung tradi-tion the oldest in the region and Ladakh the region pre-serving the major part of its cultural heritage.Even during the lifetime of Drikung Rinpoche the influ-ence of this school became manifest in the art of the region. In a lineage preser-ved on the third storey of the Alchi Sumtsek (gSum-brt-segs) Drikung Rinpoche is mentioned as the last in the lineage, making the temple relatively well dateable to the early 13th century (ca. 1200–1220). In addition, the later temples of the Alchi Group of monuments, at least the gSum-brtsegs and the two mchod-rten of Alchi as well as the Assembly Hall of Sumda Chung, already show some Central Tibetan influence in their iconogra-phy and the depiction of the priests (Luczanits, 1998).During the 13th and 14th centuries the small West Tibetan kingdoms and their monasteries became part of the newly established schools of Tibetan Buddhism and their political quarrels. Although very little is known of regional history for these centuries the western Hima-layas apparently served as a stronghold for the Drikung order.Besides a temple at Lamay-uru, a major centre of the school today, numerous temples were founded provi-ding evidence that the school had established itself in the region. Important early foun-dations are particularly fre-quent in Lower Ladakh, in the region around Lamayuru, for example the early temples preserved at Wanla, Kanji, Lamayuru, Alchi, Saspol and Phyang.

Text: Christian LuczanitsFotos: Neuwirth / Luczanits / Auer

The Caves of SaspolFWF - FSP - University of Vienna / University of Technology Graz / Holger Neuwirth

ground plan of the 1° cave

Layout Carmen Auer c Jänner 2006 / www.archresearch.tugraz.at

0 1 2 3 4 5 10 15

ground plan of the 2° cave ground plan of the 3° cave ground plan of the 4° cave

4321

3

2

1

4