Key Information

Photographer

Sir Charles Bell

Collection

Sir Charles Bell

Date of Photo

April 15th 1921

Region

Lhasa Area > Ganden

Accession number

1998.285.221

Image Dimensions

120 x 163 mm

Part of Ganden Monastery showing Tsongkhapa's tomb in the centre left, the large four-pillared Assembly Hall of the monastery, the house where the Ti Rimpoche lived and the Dalai Lama's apartments under gilt roofs

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative glass plate gelatin , Negative Half Plate

Date Acquired

Donated 1983

Donated by

St Antony's College, Oxford.

Expedition

Sir Charles Bell's Mission to Lhasa 1920-21

Photo also owned by

Royal Central Asiatic Society

Previous Catologue Number

H.193

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

BL.H.193

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Bell's List of Illustrations entry: "[No. of chapter] XXXII to XXXIV. [Subject of Chapter] The Religion [Subject of Illustration] H.193 (ck) part of Ganden Monastery. In the red house below (i) (left center) is Tsong-ka-pa's tomb; in the centre below (ii) with 4 pillars, is the large Assembly Hall of the Monastery; on right of this below (iii) is the house where the Ti Rimpoche lives and the Dalai Lama has his apartments. These 3 are all under gilt canopies."

Other Information - Setting

Other Information - Setting: Bell made a brief tour to Ganden in April 1921. Bell's diary entry for 15th April 1921: 'After the usual refreshment of tea and cakes we see first the house in which the Ti Rimpoche lives (photo half plate). In it the two rooms immediately under the great gilt dome are reserved for the Dalai Lama and opened only when he comes. The Ti Rimpoche live in the right of the building. // Now we see the famous tomb of Tsong-ka-pa. Entering a large red building, almost the only one, a building surmounted with a gilt-pagoda-like roof, we find the tomb in a small chapel of its own, enclosed in a circular Mongoliantent, whose walls are felt, overlaid with silks, and supported by pillars of red-laquered walnut wood. This tent envelopes nearly the whole of the chapel. In the foreground,as we enter, is a large mandala, i.e: a platform in this case partly of wood and partly of silver gilt, on which are arranged religious emblems of many kinds, gold and gilt, including figures of elephants, of sacred gems (nor-bu), and [indecipherable]' [Vol. X, p.9] [MS 2/6/2004]

Contemporary Publication -

Contemporary Publication - Published in 'The Religion of Tibet', Bell, C. A., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1931, facing p.100:"Ganden Monastery. Tsong-ka-pa's tomb is in the red building (left centre); close to this in the right, with four pillars, is the monks' Assembly Hall."

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Ganden Monastery" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.285.221.html>.

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