Share the story of what Open Access means to you
University of Michigan needs your feedback to better understand how readers are using openly available ebooks. You can help by taking a short, privacy-friendly survey.
Drawn and Written in Stone: An inventory of stepped structures and inscriptions on rock surfaces in Upper Tibet (ca. 100 BCE to 1400 CE)
John Vincent Bellezza
You don't have access to this book. Please try to log in with your institution.
Log in
Drawn and Written in Stone explores the religious history of the highest part of the Tibetan Plateau through its rock art and inscriptions. It is focused on facsimiles of ritual and ceremonial monuments carved and painted on stone surfaces and rock inscriptions in the Tibetan language, vital archaeological and historical materials for appraising the development of religion in Tibet, ca. 100 BCE to 1400 CE. By probing the complexion of figures and letters in stone, this work considers how early cult traditions contributed to the establishment of Tibetan Buddhism and a rival faith known as Yungdrung Bon. Outside of the Indian cultural context, relatively little has been written about the historical antecedents of these popular Tibetan religions for a want of sources. This monograph helps remedy this large gap in Tibetan studies by drawing upon the author’s surveys of rock art and rock inscriptions conducted in upmost Tibet between 1995 and 2013.
-
Cover
-
Title Page
-
Copyright
-
Of Related Interest
-
Acknowledgements
-
Contents
-
List of Figures
-
List of Tables
-
General Introduction
-
Précis
-
Methods and perspectives
-
-
Part I. A Comprehensive Survey of Stepped Structures in the Rock Art of Upper Tibet
-
1. Introduction to Stepped Structures in the Rock Art of Upper Tibet
-
Overview
-
Chronology
-
Locations of Upper Tibetan rock art sites with stepped structures
-
-
2. The Origins of Stepped Structures in Upper Tibet
-
Elementary stepped structures in the literary and ethnographic records
-
Archaic built stepped structures in the archaeological record
-
Archaic stepped structures in the artefactual record
-
Ancient chorten
-
-
3. Typological Illustrations and Data on Stepped Structures in Upper Tibetan Rock Art
-
Categorisation
-
Key to the typological inventory
-
Group I: elementary two-tiered stepped structures (three specimens)
-
Group II: elementary three-tiered stepped structures (ten specimens)
-
Group III: elementary three-tiered stepped structures with a bulbous top (11 specimens)
-
Group IV: elementary multi-tiered stepped structures (23 specimens)
-
Group V: elementary segmented stepped structures (five specimens)
-
Group VI: elementary stepped structures with a spatulate or inverted crescent-shaped finial (four specimens)
-
Group VII: elementary stepped structures with a multifoliate finial (two specimens)
-
Group VIII: elementary stepped structures with a tricuspidate finial (four specimens)
-
Group IX: idiosyncratic elementary stepped structures (12 specimens)
-
Group X: well-developed stepped structures with a bulbous upper stage (22 specimens)
-
Group XI: twin stepped structures sharing a common base (three specimens)
-
Group XII: simple-style chorten (seven specimens)
-
Group XIII: chorten with forked finials (20 specimens)
-
Group XIV: chorten with a cross-piece spire (15 specimens)
-
Group XV: giant pictographic stepped structures (five specimens)
-
Group XVI: flat-topped chorten (eighteen specimens)
-
Group XVII: chorten with a simple spire (12 specimens)
-
Group XVIII: intricate non-Buddhist chorten (23 specimens)
-
Group XIX: intricate chorten of Brag-gyam (25 specimens)
-
Group XX: Buddhist chorten (seven specimens)
-
-
4. Cross-cultural Influences Acting upon Stepped Structures in Upper Tibetan Rock Art
-
Orientation
-
Spiti
-
Ladakh
-
Northern Pakistan
-
Mechanisms of interaction
-
-
5. Photographic Catalogue of Stepped Structures in Upper Tibetan Rock Art
-
Group I: elementary two-tiered stepped structures
-
Group II: elementary three-tiered stepped structures
-
Group III: elementary three-tiered stepped structures with a bulbous top
-
Group IV: elementary multi-tiered stepped structures
-
Group V: elementary segmented stepped structures
-
Group VI: elementary stepped structures with a spatulate or crescent-shaped finial
-
Group VII: elementary stepped structures with a multifoliate finial
-
Group VIII: elementary stepped structures with a tricuspidate finial
-
Group IX: idiosyncratic elementary stepped structures
-
Group X: stepped structures with a bulbous upper stage
-
Group XI: twin stepped structures sharing a common base
-
Group XII: simple-style chorten
-
Group XIII: chorten with a forked finial
-
Group XIV: chorten with a cross-piece spire
-
Group XV: giant pictographic stepped structures
-
Group XVI: flat-topped chorten
-
Group XVII: chorten with a simple spire
-
Group XVIII: intricate non-Buddhist chorten
-
Group XIX: intricate chorten of Brag-gyam
-
Group XX: Buddhist chorten
-
-
-
Party II. A Comprehensive Survey of Early Rock Inscriptions in Upper Tibet
-
6. Introduction to Upper Tibetan Rock Inscriptions
-
Overview
-
Locations of sites with rock inscriptions
-
-
7. The Archaeology and History of Upper Tibetan Rock Inscriptions
-
The archaeological context
-
The variable development of epigraphy on the Western Tibetan Plateau
-
Rock inscriptions of the Vestigial period
-
-
8. Palaeographic Analysis of Upper Tibetan Rock Inscriptions
-
Palaeographic methods of dating
-
Palaeographic typology
-
Early Historic period
-
Vestigial period
-
-
Physical qualities of rock inscriptions
-
-
9. A Statistical and Religious Profile of Rock Inscriptions in Upper Tibet
-
Statistical analysis
-
Doctrinal significance of mantras
-
Buddhist and non-Buddhist contestation
-
-
10. Photographic Catalogue and Readings of Upper Tibetan Rock Inscriptions
-
Introduction
-
Note on methodological exactitude
-
-
Bkra-shis-do, Gnam-mtsho
-
Bkra-shis do-chen, Gnam-mtsho
-
-
Bkra-shis- do-chung, Gnam-mtsho
-
Other sites at Gnam-mtsho
-
Rta-mchog ngang-pa do, Gnam-mtsho
-
Khyi-rgan gag-pa do, Gnam-mtsho
-
Lug do, Gnam-mtsho
-
Ra-ma do, Gnam-mtsho
-
Stong-shong phug, Gnam-mtsho
-
Se-mo do, Gnam-mtsho
-
Rigs-lnga do, Gnam-mtsho
-
Lce do, Gnam-mtsho
-
-
Other sites on the Byang-thang
-
Lha-ris sgrub-phug, Smad-pa
-
Slob-dpon phug, Gzhung-smad
-
Rta-ra dmar-lding, Gzims-phug
-
Chu-ro, Gzhung-smad
-
Dar-lung phug-pa, Gzhung-smad
-
Bshag-bsangs, Gro-ba
-
Am-nag, Dang-ra g.yu-mtsho
-
Do dril-bu, Bkra-ri gnam-mtsho
-
Gu-ru rin-po-che phug, Bkra-ri gnam-mtsho
-
Lha-khang dmar-chags, Da-rog mtsho
-
Rdzong pi-phi, Bar-yangs
-
Ri-rgyal, Sger-rtse
-
-
Far Western Tibet
-
Rdu-ru-can, Gu-ge
-
Gser-sgam, Gu-ge
-
Brag-gyam, Sgar
-
Gong-ra, Ra-bang
-
Skabs-ren spungs-ri, Ra-bang
-
Chu-mkhar gyam sgrub-phug, Rdo-dmar
-
Mchod-rten sbug sna-kha, Ra-bang
-
Brag-gdong, Ra-bang
-
Glog-phug mkhar, Ra-bang
-
Rwa-’brog ’phrang, Ra-bang
-
Sna-kha sogs, Khul-pa
-
Nag-skyom, Khul-pa
-
Ri-mo gdong, Sde-rog
-
She-rang sna-kha shar-ma, Sde-rog
-
Ru-thog rdzong
-
Rno-ba g.yang-rdo, O-byang
-
-
Supplemental
-
Thang-lha’i rten-khang
-
Near Gu-ru sgrub-phug
-
Sri-gcod ’bum-pa, Bkra-shis do-chung
-
Se-mo do, Gnam-mtsho
-
Chos-lung O-rgyan bsam-gtan-gling, Gzims-phug
-
Skyid-sgrom dgon-pa, Gzhung-smad
-
Stong-shong brag-khung
-
Gnas kun-bzang
-
G.yung-drung lha-rtse, Dang-ra g.yu-mtsho
-
Dar-chung, Dang-ra g.yu-mtsho
-
Do dril-bu, Da-rog mtsho
-
Tham-ka-can, Rtsa-mda’
-
Rwa-’brog ’phrang, Ra-bang
-
Brag-gyam, Sgar
-
-
-
-
Bibliography
-
Index
-
Back Cover
Citable Link
Published: 2020
Publisher: BAR Publishing
- 9781407356396 (paper)
- 9781407356402 (ebook)
BAR Number: S2995