This research investigates a newly uncovered cache of materials from Khartse, a remote area in Ngari within the historic Guge kingdom of Western Tibet. Khartse is closely connected with the “Great Translator” (lo chen) Rinchen Zangpo (958–1055) both biographically and through the establishment of monastic foundations; he was a key figure in the Buddhist renaissance in Western Tibet and in the subsequent development of Buddhism throughout Tibet. The study aims to shed light on the region’s religious culture and artistic heritage, offering fresh insights into Western Tibetan traditions. A key objective is to make this unique material accessible for the first time.

Focusing on approximately 25 Buddhist sites in Khartse (Tsamda District, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China), the project examines an invaluable, yet underexplored collection of documentation amassed by the esteemed historian Prof. Guge Tsering Gyalpo between 2002 and 2015. The corpus includes monuments, cave temples adorned with wall paintings and sculptures, chörten, thangkas, metal statues, ritual objects, inscriptions, manuscripts, and documents. Noteworthy for their exceptional preservation, artistic sophistication, and historical significance, these materials represent one of the most comprehensive and epoch-spanning assemblages of temple complexes and artifacts in Western Tibet within their original historical context.

This cache provides a rare opportunity to deepen our understanding of Western Tibetan Buddhist culture, artistic practices, and their influence beyond the Himalayas, addressing critical gaps in scholarship. For the first time, this body of visual and textual sources will undergo systematic analysis by an international team led by Tibet art historian Christiane Kalantari.

The project explores key intellectual themes, including processes of societal and religious transformation, and evolving interactions among artists, ideas, and material culture. A significant focus is the visual and textual evidence of patronage and devotion, particularly the underexplored roles of women in rituals and narratives. This includes analyzing the agency, presence, and participation of women in public and sacred spaces across historical periods.

Adopting a transdisciplinary approach, the study integrates methodologies from art history, anthropology, epigraphy, textual analysis, and hagiography. This multi-faceted framework combines art history with material culture studies, embracing trans-cultural and trans-medial perspectives.

The findings from this research will foster a holistic understanding of Western Tibetan culture and its artistic expressions. By disseminating results through scholarly publications and making materials openly accessible via the University of Vienna Himalaya Archive, the project is poised to significantly contribute to the study of Western Tibetan art and religious history, while encouraging further scholarship in the field.

Project Leader:
Christiane Kalantari
 

Collaborators:
Lobsang Yongdan (ÖAW), Kurt Tropper (ÖAW), John Harrison (University of Liverpool)
 

Cooperations:
Bernadette Broeskamp (Freie Universität Berlin), Gudrun Melzer (Universität München), Zhang Changhong (Harvard-Yenching Institute)
 

Duration:
01.10.2025 - 30.09.2029
 

Financing:
FWF Principal Investigator Project