Monk escort of Nechung Oracle leaving Jokhang

Monk escort of Nechung Oracle leaving Jokhang

2001.59.1.59.1 (Film negative)

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Key Information

Photographer

Hugh E. Richardson

Collection

Hugh Richardson

Date of Photo

March 6th 1937

Region

Lhasa > Jokhang (main entrance from Doring house)

Accession number

2001.59.1.59.1

Image Dimensions

54 x 43 mm

Procession of novice monks from Nechung monastery (gnas chung) known as 'khor, leaving the Jokhang Temple in the centre of Lhasa at the time of the Monlam Torgya. These novice monks act as a retinue to escort the Nechung oracle away from the temple. They can be seen wearing ceremonial dress and carrying standards. Monks and officials can be seen lining the inner courtyard of the Jokhang as well as watching the procession from the upstairs window. The Nechung Oracle was the state oracle of Tibet and the Jokhang was one of the most important religious sites in the country.

Further Information

Activity

Ritual Activity

Photographic Process

Negative film nitrate

Date Acquired

Donated August 2001

Donated by

The executors of the estate of Hugh E. Richardson

Expedition

Hugh E. Richardson

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Notes on negative album - '1' 'Chipsha: Dzonggyab [rdzong rgyab]: Torgyap [gtor rgyag] ----- [illegible]' is written in white in Richardson's hand. Notes inside negative album: white label with Richardson's name and address in St. Andrews. [KC 8/7/2006]

Manual Catalogues -


Manual Catalogues - Notes on negative index - Folio 59. 'GNAS-CHUNG'S 'KHOR'. [KC 17/7/2006]

Manual Catalogues -


Manual Catalogues - Richardson's Hand List: Negative album No.1 nos. 59-63 'The 'Khor of the Gnas-chung Chos-skyong (a procession of his attendants). [KC 24/7/2006]

Technical Information - This image seems to have been taken with a Zeiss Super Ikonta C camera. This was a 6x9 format camera but came with a film plane mask that enabled 6x4.5 images to be taken. This enabled 16 images to be taken on a roll of 120 film as opposed to 8 without the mask [MS 6/10/2005]

 Other Information - Background: See Hugh E. Richardson, Ceremonies of the Lhasa Year , 1993, London: Serindia Publications, pp 39-49 for a description of the Monlam Torgya ( mon lam gtor rgyag) ceremony. "The ceremony of Monlam Torgya is the longest and the most spectacular event of the New Year celebrations. It is the high point of the Yaso's tenure of office and the day for which the Tsisher was the preparation. (p. 39) ... "Then there emerges from the Jokhang a long procession of the Nechung Oracle's khor, a sort of phantom bodyguard, about sixty of them in all. First a line of small boys wearing demon masks, then other men in armour with tall helmets, then some in monk's dress wearing large round red hats with a little crown, the a party of black hat magicians, and finally a group in skull masks preceding a number of the Nechung monks in yellow hats carrying the Oracle's trident-headed standards." (p. 47) [KC 24/7/2006]

Other Information - Dates


Other Information - Dates: In a letter to his parents dated November 6th 1936, Hugh Richardson commented that he was investigating buying a new Zeiss Super Ikonta camera [Hugh Richardson Manuscript Archive, Bodleian Library, MS. Or. Richardson 3 folio 46]. On March 29th 1937 he comments in a further letter to his parents that it would probaby be better to use the larger image frame [MS Or Richardson 3 folio 82]. This has assisted the dating of this image to 1937 [MS 6/10/2005]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Monk escort of Nechung Oracle leaving Jokhang " 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.59.1.59.1.html>.

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