Kinnaur, lying on the ancient trade route between India and Tibet and surrounded by the majestic Himalayan, Zanskar and Dhauladhar ranges, has preserved their rich cultural heritage in the form of monumental remains, including temples both wooden and stone, Buddhist monasteries and lhakhangs; mchod rtens, mani-walls memorial stones; etc. These are not merely the centers of worship but also are the hubs of religious, artistic, social and economic activities. The traditional art of wood carvings is best reflected in their wooden galleries and arched door panels, which are still alive in the hills. Not only that, but the Buddhists and Hindus live in perfect harmony, symbolizing the traditional brotherhood and friendship of the people of both faiths. Here is an attempt to outline the basic information by way of photographs of the existing Buddhist monumental heritages preserved by the local inhabitants for centuries. This work would be found useful for the lay visitors as a valley guidebook.
Chhering Dorje (b. 1953) joined ASI as Deputy Superintending Archaeologist in 1979 and retired as Joint Director General in 2013. He had experience of working in different fields of archaeology, conservation and heritage management projects in different states and also associated with Gol Conservation Projects on Ta Prohm Temple complex, Angkor Vat, Cambodia (2001) and Ananda Temple, Bagan, Myanmar (2011). He was awarded Fellowship by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla (2016-17) and Tagore National Scholarship by the Ministry of Culture, Gol (2018-20).
Kinnaur, located between the high mountain ranges of the Great Himalayas, had been an isolated region in the past and inaccessible to the outside world. That is why, it has preserved remarkable ancient monumental heritages in the form of shrines dedicated to folk and brahmanical deities, Buddhist monasteries or Lhakhangs and mchodrtens and Mani-walls of archaeological importance in the valley. These traditional and historic heritages are an integral part of the environment in which we live and work. Therefore, it is our duty to maintain these heritage remains on regular basis with the right skills and the right materials so as to retain the traditional building fabric in its original look and condition. It is our heritage, which draws tourists to our country and also motivates people from one part of the country to visit the other part. This brings economic benefit to the people of the area.
Here I am only concerned with the Buddhist heritage sites of Kinnaur. These are not merely the center of worship but also are the hub of religious, artistic, social and economic activities. Not only that these monastic centers are store-house of amazing collection of metal, wood and clay sculptures; manuscripts; murals on the walls and ceilings on various themes, thangkas in various colours and sizes; ritual objects and other works of arts of antiquarian value. The traditional art of wood carvings is best reflected in their wooden galleries' and arched door panels of the monasteries, which are still alive in the hills.
In the present work, an attempt has been made to document the details of most of the existing monumental heritages which have been preserved by the local inhabitants of the Kinnaur valley for centuries with the readily available research works and accounts of the predecessors and other learned scholars, reports, etc. and also field visits to the sites. This work does not claim to be in-depth study but only outlines the basic information as available through various studies undertaken earlier by the researchers and field scholars in their respective field. At places, some of the monuments were found locked and thereby the details could not be incorporated.
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