Key Information

Photographer

Rabden Lepcha

Collection

Sir Charles Bell

Date of Photo

May 20th 1921

Region

Lhasa Area > Kungtang > Chorten

Accession number

1998.285.232

Image Dimensions

120 x 163 mm

Large chorten at Kungtang, two men in foreground.

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.202

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

BL.H.202

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.202 (dc) Large Chorten at Kungtang. Built when the monastery was founded. Inside are many images of Buddha. Inside the door is a circular passage, a few feet wide, going round the building."

Other Information - Setting

Other Information - Setting: On May 20th according to Bell's Diary, he travelled to Kungtang, 5 miles from Lhasa up the Kyi Chu Valley, to witness the religious ceremonies that commemorated the birth of Gotama Buddha, the enlightenment of Gotama Buddha and the Buddha's entry into Nirvana. Bell describes the ceremonies in some detail in his Diary for May 21st 1921. [MS 15/9/2004]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Chorten at Kungtang" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.285.232.html>.

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Chorten at Kungtang