Key Information

Photographer

Hugh E. Richardson

Collection

Hugh Richardson

Date of Photo

1950

Region

Lhodrag Region > Nezhi

Accession number

2001.59.4.21.1

Image Dimensions

54 X 43 mm

Nezhi (gnas bzhi) monastery founded in the 13th century by Terton Guru Chowang (1212-70) and housing his golden reliquary. A reliquary monument may be seen in the centre of the image. There are fields in the foreground and mountains in the background.

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative film nitrate

Date Acquired

Donated August 2001

Donated by

The executors of the estate of Hugh E. Richardson

Expedition

Richardson's 1950 Lhodrag tour

Published

‘High Peaks, Pure Earth’, Hugh Richardson, London, Serindia Publications, 1998 [view list of illustrations]

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Notes on negative album - '4 LHOBRAG 1950' 'Gongkar. Dzaring La. Lha khang Dzong. Sras. Pemaling Tso. Ku la kangri.' written in white in Richardson's hand.

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Notes on negative index - Folio 21. 'GNAS BZHI'

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - 'Album 4: Journey starting at Gong-dkar rdzong on Gtsang-po, 29.18 N. 90.48. E.' No 21. 'Gnas-bzhi monastery, c 28.20 N.91.24 E. old rnying-ma-pa monastery.' (Typewritten sheet by H.E. Richardson) [KC 3/3/2006]

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - [Hugh Richardson in conversation with Paddy Booz; see PRM Related Documents File] '... Gnas Bzhi (Gnas Bshi, Neshi, Ne shi, Ne She). This is a Nyingmapa monastery/temple, 13th c. Gnas Bzhi is in Lhodrak, in the south of Tibet; Tsen dro chu valley. First travel to the Yamdrok Tso Lake, then along the Karmaling plain, 90 degrees 27 minutes east, 28 degrees 48 minutes north ...'.

Research publication - Hugh Richardson, High Peaks, Pure Earth. Collected Writings on Tibetan History and Culture , 1998, Serindia: London. Plate 73 "Gnas-gzhi." [KC 10/11/2006]

Other Information - Location: " Gnas-gzhi (1950), an important Rnying ma-pa monastery, is situated a little way down the valley on the west side. It was founded in the thirteenth century by Guru Chos-dbang, who was born here and whose image has a place on the main altar. His dmar-gdung - a gilded mchod-rten [reliquary monument] containing his mummified body- is in a separate chapel together with those of his descendents". Hugh Richardson, High Peaks, Pure Earth. Collected Writings on Tibetan History and Culture , 1998, Serindia: London. p.321. Also, mention is made of the chorten visible in the centre of this image, "In the valley below the monastery [of Smra-bo lcogs-pa] ... near the point where the Chaparchu joins the larger Lho-brag Btsan-'gro-chu, there is another, white, [chorten] (visible in the photograph of Gnas-gzhi). ( ibid. )

The monastery is founded by Terton Guru Chowang (1212-70) and housed his golden reliquary. [TS 19/5/2005]

Other Information - Dates

Other Information - Dates: The date is derived from Richardson’s negative album No.4, the cover of which is marked with ‘Lhobrag 1950’. These images seem all to have been developed as part of a batch arising from a trip to Mug, Lhobrag etc in 1950. [MS 22/12/2005]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Nezhi Monastery" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.59.4.21.1.html>.

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