Gilded roofs of the Jokhang in Lhasa

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2001.59.2.83.2 (Print)

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Key Information

Photographer

Hugh E. Richardson

Collection

Hugh Richardson

Date of Photo

June-July 1939

Region

Lhasa > Jokhang

Accession number

2001.59.2.83.2

Image Dimensions

61 X 59 mm

The gilded roofs of the Tsuklag khang (gtsug lag khang) or Jokhang as seen from the roof top of a house in the vicinity.

Further Information

Photographic Process

Print silver

Date Acquired

Donated August 2001

Donated by

The executors of the estate of Hugh E. Richardson

Expedition

Hugh E. Richardson

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - 'N.R. (2).82; dpal [?], Soylin, mdna [?], Jowo, Sanli [?], Thepy [?], gnas bu' is written on the reverse of print in Richardson's hand in pencil. Also, 'Velox' in an oval and the number '516' is stamped in black ink.

Other Information - History: The Tsuklag khang is Tibet’s most sacred religious site. It is said that every Tibetan must visit the Tsuk Lag-khang once in their lifetime. The construction of the building began in 638 AD under the patronage of Queen Bhrikuti, the Nepalese wife of Tibetan emperor Srongtsan Gampo. Richardson wrote, "Unlike the Potala,which presents a spectacle of towering majesty, the Jo-khang is so closely surrounded by a seemingly random accretion of buildings that is impossible to get an overall idea of its outward appearance". Richardson wrote a detailed history and a description of the Jokhang with drawings of the floor plans in 'The Jo-khang "Cathedral" of Lhasa', High Peaks, Pure Earth, 1998 , London: Serindia Publications. pp: 237-260. A flat roof is the general architectural feature of ordinary Tibetan houses, while gilded and a sloping roof usually is reserved for a religious building. (TS)

Other Information - Dates


Other Information - Dates: This image relates to a group of 15 contact prints which all have the same batch development number, 516 printed in black ink upon them. In this group of images there is one picture with Capt. A. H. O O’Malley, who had taken up the post of Medical Officer in Gyantse in July 1938 [see McKay 1997 p.236] and who visited Lhasa in early June 1939. Also, some of the images are from a ceremony at Darpoling Monastery on the 15th Day of the 5th Month, which Richardson states he saw only once and which correlate with the year 1939. Many of the images were taken in and around Lhalu mansion [MS 19/12/2005]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Gilded roofs of the Jokhang in Lhasa" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.59.2.83.2.html>.

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