Key Information

Photographer

Rabden Lepcha?

Collection

Sir Charles Bell

Date of Photo

October 1921?

Region

Lhasa Area

Accession number

1998.286.53.1

Image Dimensions

78 x 107

Drepung monk in neck restraint as punishment for forging currency notes. A note and possibly the printing block used to make the forgery can be seen pinned to the post on the right hand side of the image

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative Quarter Plate

Date Acquired

Donated 1983

Donated by

St Antony's College, Oxford

Copy difference

Lantern Notches on right side

Expedition

Sir Charles Bell's Mission to Lhasa 1920-21

Previous Catologue Number

Q.45

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

BL.Q.45a

Related Collections

British Library, Oriental and India Office Collections

Published

'Tibet Past & Present', Sir Charles Bell, Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1924 [view list of illustrations]

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Bell's List of Illustrations entry: "[No. of chapter] XII. [Subject of Chapter] Crime and Punishment. [Subject of Illustration] Q45. (e) Drepung monk in cangue continuously for days and nights for forging currency notes. [Where placed - book page] I, 204. [Remarks] L.64"

Contemporary Publication -

Contemporary Publication - Published in 'Tibet Past & Present', Bell, C. A., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924, facing p.204:"A monk, convicted of counterfeiting the currency-notes (p.203)"

Other Information - Description: 'Tibet Past & Present', Bell, C. A., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924, pp. 203-4:"The time for my departure was now drawing near. Although the Tibetans would have been willing for the Mission to remain another year, and many would have welcomed it, this would have been undesirable on various grounds, and was indeed unnecessary. For the British Government had accepted my recommendations as to our future policy, and the Tibet question was therefore, as far as possible, settled. ... Apart from this settlement, my Mission had been able to smooth away misunderstandings and to re-establish confidence between the British and Tibetan Governments. Of this increased confidence there were many signs, too numerous to mention. The case of a monk, convicted of counterfeiting the currency notes, newly introduced into the country, was sent to me for my decision as to the length of the imprisonment to be imposed, and my opinion on the point was accepted without further question" [MS 8/9/2004]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Drepung monk punished for forgery" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.286.53.1.html>.

For more information about photographic usage or to order prints, please visit the The Pitt Rivers Museum.