Tabo--gods of Light

Tabo--gods of Light PDF Author: Peter Van Ham
Publisher: Hirmer Verlag GmbH
ISBN: 9783777423265
Category : Art, Indic
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Over one thousand years old, the monastery complex of Tabo and its exquisitely preserved works of art provide a wealth of marvellous pictures. The richly illustrated volume reproduces the beauty of these works of art, while the accompanying text presents the most recent research findings. The monastery of Tabo is located in the north-Indian region of the Himalayas. Founded in 996 AD, it is the oldest temple complex in the Tibetan cultural area to have been preserved in its original state. Tabo s main temple, the Temple of the Enlightened Gods, is a unique gesamtkunstwerk. Sculptures and paintings dating back one thousand years that were executed in an incomparably delicate style, probably by Indian artists, together form a sort of horizontal walkable mandala. Special permission was granted to Peter van Ham so that he could take photographs of the temple s halls, which are not accessible to the public. The volume presents these breath-taking photographs and describes in detail the entire gamut of Tibetan artistic styles. Tabo Monastery, located in the North-Indian Himalayan region of Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) and founded in 996 CE, is the most ancient temple-site of the entire Tibetan cultural realm, which has been preserved unaltered in its original state. Simple adobe buildings erected on level ground were designated as a university and served as a meeting place of saints and scholars during the so-called Second Diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet, initiated by the kings of Western Tibet, the Great Translator Rinchen Sangpo and the Indian master Atisha. From that Golden Period, Tabo s main temple, the Temple of Enlightened Gods, in its interior conserves an exceptional comprehensive artwork, a masterpiece of Indo-Tibetan art: An arrangement of a thousand year-old sculptures and paintings, produced presumably by Indian artists in incomparably fine and beautiful style, forms a unique horizontal mandala, which till today serves as a means for the achievement of highest enlightenment. Furthermore, Tabo offers the rare opportunity to experience and study the entire array of Tibetan art forms and styles, as in its other temples, beautiful and unique masterpieces, especially from the Second Period of West Tibetan art (15th/16th century), but also of later periods, have been preserved, which are also described in detail in this volume. For this book, the Archaeological Survey of India has granted an only rarely given permission to the author and photographer Peter van Ham to document the otherwise forbidden place. The result is a stunning visual review of outstanding beauty combined with a concise text, which comprises the latest in research on the sanctuary of Tabo, that will appeal to a wide range of readers, be they art historians, tibetologists or travellers."

Tabo--gods of Light

Tabo--gods of Light PDF Author: Peter Van Ham
Publisher: Hirmer Verlag GmbH
ISBN: 9783777423265
Category : Art, Indic
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Over one thousand years old, the monastery complex of Tabo and its exquisitely preserved works of art provide a wealth of marvellous pictures. The richly illustrated volume reproduces the beauty of these works of art, while the accompanying text presents the most recent research findings. The monastery of Tabo is located in the north-Indian region of the Himalayas. Founded in 996 AD, it is the oldest temple complex in the Tibetan cultural area to have been preserved in its original state. Tabo s main temple, the Temple of the Enlightened Gods, is a unique gesamtkunstwerk. Sculptures and paintings dating back one thousand years that were executed in an incomparably delicate style, probably by Indian artists, together form a sort of horizontal walkable mandala. Special permission was granted to Peter van Ham so that he could take photographs of the temple s halls, which are not accessible to the public. The volume presents these breath-taking photographs and describes in detail the entire gamut of Tibetan artistic styles. Tabo Monastery, located in the North-Indian Himalayan region of Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) and founded in 996 CE, is the most ancient temple-site of the entire Tibetan cultural realm, which has been preserved unaltered in its original state. Simple adobe buildings erected on level ground were designated as a university and served as a meeting place of saints and scholars during the so-called Second Diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet, initiated by the kings of Western Tibet, the Great Translator Rinchen Sangpo and the Indian master Atisha. From that Golden Period, Tabo s main temple, the Temple of Enlightened Gods, in its interior conserves an exceptional comprehensive artwork, a masterpiece of Indo-Tibetan art: An arrangement of a thousand year-old sculptures and paintings, produced presumably by Indian artists in incomparably fine and beautiful style, forms a unique horizontal mandala, which till today serves as a means for the achievement of highest enlightenment. Furthermore, Tabo offers the rare opportunity to experience and study the entire array of Tibetan art forms and styles, as in its other temples, beautiful and unique masterpieces, especially from the Second Period of West Tibetan art (15th/16th century), but also of later periods, have been preserved, which are also described in detail in this volume. For this book, the Archaeological Survey of India has granted an only rarely given permission to the author and photographer Peter van Ham to document the otherwise forbidden place. The result is a stunning visual review of outstanding beauty combined with a concise text, which comprises the latest in research on the sanctuary of Tabo, that will appeal to a wide range of readers, be they art historians, tibetologists or travellers."

Atua

Atua PDF Author: Michael Gunn
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780642334480
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Polynesian concept of atua -- of gods, figurative objects and associated beliefs -- developed over thousands of years and spread throughout the region. The superb examples of sculpture illustrated in this volume provide an island-by-island insight into this rich and intriguing heritage. Intrepid seafarers first discovered Polynesia 3000 years ago and, gradually, the region came to be inhabited by the communities established by these explorers. Across central and eastern Polynesia, from the Cook, Austral, Society and Marquesas islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, Tahiti, Rapa Nui, the Hawaiian Islands and Aotearoa New Zealand, unique, yet coherent, societies developed. With that a complex and sustaining spiritual world came into being. Sculptures of ancestral gods connected the Polynesians with Te Po, the supernatural world, giving them strength and sacred knowledge. A hierarchy of supernatural beings -- atua -- resides within Te Po, inhabiting animals and birds, or particular aspects of the landscape. Among the atua were the deified spirits of human ancestors, particularly those famous for their invincibility, political strength or navigation skill. Polynesians created, revered and communicated with their atua in a relationship of profound intimacy. This way of life suffered a violent rupture with the arrival of Christianity in the 18th century. It is this volume's privilege to chronicle the integral role played by the atua in Polynesian daily life through images and text that convey the power of a still-living culture.

Alchi

Alchi PDF Author: Peter Van Ham
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783777430935
Category : Alchi Gömpa (India)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
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.

Guge - Ages of Gold

Guge - Ages of Gold PDF Author: Peter van Ham
Publisher: Hirmer Verlag GmbH
ISBN: 9783777426686
Category : Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
"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.

Teot's War

Teot's War PDF Author: Heather Gladney
Publisher: Ace Books
ISBN: 9780441800834
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 264

Get Book Here

Book Description
A desert warrior joins forces with the Liege Lord of Tan in hopes of starting a war to regain control of their homeland

Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia

Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia PDF Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 9780292707948
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Get Book Here

Book Description
Ancient Mesopotamia was a rich, varied and highly complex culture whose achievements included the invention of writing and the development of sophisticated urban society. This book offers an introductory guide to the beliefs and customs of the ancient Mesopotamians, as revealed in their art and their writings between about 3000 B.C. and the advent of the Christian era. Gods, goddesses, demons, monsters, magic, myths, religious symbolism, ritual, and the spiritual world are all discussed in alphabetical entries ranging from short accounts to extended essays. Names are given in both their Sumerian and Akkadian forms, and all entries are fully cross-referenced. A useful introduction provides historical and geographical background and describes the sources of our knowledge about the religion, mythology and magic of "the cradle of civilisation".

Kintsugi

Kintsugi PDF Author: Bonnie Kemske
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789940001
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Get Book Here

Book Description
A broken pot is made whole again, and within its golden repair we see a world of meaning. Kintsugi is the art of embracing imperfection. In Western cultures, the aim of repair has been to make the broken item 'as good as new'. Kintsugi on the other hand, is a Japanese art that leaves an obvious repair – one that may appear fragile, but which actually makes the restored ceramic piece stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable than before. Leaving clear, bold, visible lines with the appearance of solid gold, it never hides the story of the object's damage. Kintsugi traces memory, bringing together the moment of destruction and the gold seams of repair through finely-honed skills and painstaking, time-consuming labour in the creation of a new pot from the old. There is a story to be told with every crack, every chip. This story inevitably leads to kintsugi's greatest strength. an intimate metaphoric narrative of loss and recovery, breakage and restoration, tragedy and the ability to overcome it. A kintsugi repair speaks of individuality and uniqueness, fortitude and resilience, and the beauty to be found in survival. Kintsugi leads us to a respectful and appreciative acceptance of hardship and ageing. Author Bonnie Kemske explores kintsugi's metaphorical power as well as exploring the technical and practical aspects of the art, meeting with artists and ceramists in Japan and the US to discuss their personal connection to this intricate technique. With the inclusion of diary entries, personal stories, and in-depth exploration of its origin and symbolism, this book shows kintsugi's metaphoric strength as well as its striking aesthetic, making it a unique and powerful art form that can touch our lives.

Animal Sacrifice in the Ancient Greek World

Animal Sacrifice in the Ancient Greek World PDF Author: Sarah Hitch
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110821004X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 351

Get Book Here

Book Description
This volume brings together studies on Greek animal sacrifice by foremost experts in Greek language, literature and material culture. Readers will benefit from the synthesis of new evidence and approaches with a re-evaluation of twentieth-century theories on sacrifice. The chapters range across the whole of antiquity and go beyond the Greek world to consider possible influences in Hittite Anatolia and Egypt, while an introduction to the burgeoning science of osteo-archaeology is provided. The twentieth-century emphasis on sacrifice as part of the Classical Greek polis system is challenged through consideration of various ancient perspectives on sacrifice as distinct from specific political or even Greek contexts. Many previously unexplored topics are covered, particularly the type of animals sacrificed and the spectrum of sacrificial ritual, from libations to lasting memorials of the ritual in art.

Freedom and Despair

Freedom and Despair PDF Author: David Shulman
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022656665X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 207

Get Book Here

Book Description
Lately, it seems as if we wake up to a new atrocity each day. Every morning is now a ritual of scrolling through our Twitter feeds or scanning our newspapers for the latest updates on fresh horrors around the globe. Despite the countless protests we attend, the phone calls we make, or the streets we march, it sometimes feels like no matter how hard we fight, the relentless crush of injustice will never abate. David Shulman knows intimately what it takes to live your beliefs, to return, day after day, to the struggle, despite knowing you are often more likely to lose than win. Interweaving powerful stories and deep meditations, Freedom and Despair offers vivid firsthand reports from the occupied West Bank in Palestine as seen through the eyes of an experienced Israeli peace activist who has seen the Israeli occupation close up as it impacts on the lives of all Palestinian civilians. Alongside a handful of beautifully written and often shocking tales from the field, Shulman meditates deeply on how to understand the evils around him, what it means to persevere as an activist decade after decade, and what it truly means to be free. The violent realities of the occupation are on full display. We get to know and understand the Palestinian shepherds and farmers and Israeli volunteers who face this situation head-on with nonviolent resistance. Shulman does not hold back on acknowledging the daily struggles that often leave him and his fellow activists full of despair. Inspired by these committed individuals who are not prepared to be silent or passive, Shulman suggests a model for ordinary people everywhere. Anyone prepared to take a risk and fight their oppressive political systems, he argues, can make a difference—if they strive to act with compassion and to keep hope alive. This is the moving story of a man who continues to fight for good in the midst of despair. An indispensable book in our era of reactionary politics and refugee crises, political violence and ecological devastation, Freedom and Despair is a gripping memoir of struggle, activism, and hope for peace.

The All-knowing Buddha

The All-knowing Buddha PDF Author: Karl Debreczeny
Publisher: Rubin Museum of Art
ISBN: 9789085866435
Category : Buddhist painting
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Examination of a series of 54 miniature paintings from the MAS museum in Antwerp which reveal a meditation process related to Sarvavid Vairocana, the All-knowing Buddha.