Dr Karma Phuntsho, Aris Trust Centre for Tibetan & Himalayan Studies, Oxford University
2006 award - major research project
£45,930 for 10 months
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Drametse Monastery, founded in 1511 by Ani Choten Zangmo, the grand-daughter of the famous Bhutanese saint Padma Lingpa (1450-1521), is one of the major monasteries in eastern Bhutan. It is the home of Drametse Choje family which has produced many eminent religious personalities including three Shabdrung incarnations (Jigme Drakpa (1791-1830), Jigme Norbu (1831-1861) and Jigme Chogyal (1862-1904)) and the seventh Gangtey Tulku. The incumbent head of Drametse is Sungtrul Rinpoche, the eleventh Pema Lingpa incarnation, and the drum dance of Drametse has recently been classified by UNESCO as an intangible world cultural heritage.
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Drametse's manuscript collection includes the 46-volume rNying ma rGyud 'bum, sixteen volumes of Prajnaparamitasutras and about a hundred and fifty volumes of miscellaneous titles including religious hagiographies, histories, liturgies, meditation manuals and philosophical treatises. Many of the books are written in dbu med script, indicating that the books were most likely brought from Tibet in the distant past.
Ogyen Choling, located in central Bhutan, is a seat of two famous Nyingmapa saints, Longchenpa (1308-1363) and Dorje Lingpa (1346-1405). Although historically a religious establishment, it is now a manor house of the family which claims direct descent from Dorje Lingpa. It is the home of many distinguished individuals in Bhutanese history including Tshokye Dorje, the mid-nineteenth century governor of Tongsa and the de facto leader of Bhutan, Lama Nuden Dorji (1930-85), the last monk scholar of the family and Ashe Kunzang Choden, the acclaimed woman writer.
Its library, housed in three of the five temple rooms in the manor complex, contains several hundred titles of manuscripts ranging from pilgrimage guides to philosophical treatises, including a beautifully executed 21-volume set of Dorje Lingpa's writings. Prof. Samten Karmay has recently catalogued the collection highlighting some of the rare works of Zhang Lama Drowai Gonpo (1123-93), Lhodrak Drubchen Namkha Gyaltshan (1326-1401), Wensa Lobzang Dondrub (1504-1566) and Jangchub Tsondru (1817-57). In addition to the manuscripts, Ogyen Choling also owns a large body of books printed from xylographic blocks.
As manuscripts, the books are all unique copies. They are mostly a few hundred years old and thus beginning to show signs of age and wear. The local community lacks archival skills or the means to acquire them, thus the manuscripts lie in precarious situations. An accidental fire from the habitual butter lamps could instantly reduce the entire library to ashes, as has been the case with many libraries through Bhutanese history. In addition, the market for religious artefacts in the West has led to commercialisation of these objects and consequently also to theft in remote places.
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The collections at Drametse and Ogyen Choling hold immense literary and artistic value, and tremendous religious significance for the local community. They constitute the spiritual heart of the two establishments and thus cannot be relocated outside the temples - digital reproduction proves to be the most effective mode of preservation and dissemination. The project will be executed in close collaboration with the head and members of Drametse and Ogyen Choling.
The final outcome of this project will be the preservation and reproduction of the manuscript holdings of the two places in no fewer than 150,000 image files stored on hard drives.
