FLANKED by the Karakoram mountains in the northeast and the great Himalayan ranges in the south, and cut through by the river Indus, Ladakh is one of the highest inhabited places on earth. An arid desert situated at a height of between 3000 and 5000 metres above sea level, the region borders Kashmir in the west, Sinkiang in the north and Tibet in the east. Literally, Ladakh derives from ‘la-dwags’ or the land of high passes.

It was through these often treacherous passes that caravans laden with luxury goods such as jade, carpets, precious stones, tea, musk and other products would travel from China in the east to Kashmir, Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond on one of the great trading networks of history. Leh, today the district headquarters of Ladakh, fell on a minor offshoot of the fabled Silk Road and served as a caravan halt for travellers. Not just material goods, but equally through the movement of monks, pilgrims and craftsmen, sacred texts and objects, religious thought and learning all passed through this region, laying the basis for an incredibly rich cultural heritage.

It is no coincidence that this legacy essentially consists of the sacred heritage. Buddhism, the predominant religion of the region, continues to play a pivotal role in the community’s life. In its tangible form this heritage includes the large gonpas, subsidiary temples, chortens and mane walls as well as a range of ritual artifacts such as the thangkas (painted scrolls), dorje (thunderbolt) and ghanta (bell), images in stucco or metal used as aids for meditation. Equally important are the physical objects related to the more intangible aspects of this heritage such as the masks and costumes worn during the cham dances or by the oracles, the musical instruments played at the time of special prayers.

It is fortunate that in Ladakh traditional systems for the management, repair and renewal of heritage continue to be in place. Traditional community bodies headed by the goba (village headman) with the chosphons (traditional head of each locality within the village) have managed all community properties and assumed responsibility for the repair and renewal of historic structures, organizing village festivals as well as looking into other developmental activities in the village.

 

 

Within the monasteries too there exists a rough two-tier system for both administrative and religious activities of the gonpa. Thus there are monks in charge of maintaining records of all monastic properties (ritual objects, buildings and so on) as well as ensuring its timely repair and maintenance. Further, each of the major monasteries depute monks to their subsidiary temples in the villages. The monks carry out religious functions in the village as well as perform pujas in the temple. Both the monastery as well as the villagers look into the upkeep of the temple.

Over the past several decades, however, much of Ladakh’s built heritage has been facing serious threats primarily from changing climatic patterns – increased rainfall over shorter time spells – coupled with the pressures of development, particularly with the dramatic impetus to tourism over recent years. The need, therefore, to develop a conservation strategy for the region is today of deep concern. In developing a conservation methodology for this region which would in the long run be sustainable, it is critical that all stakeholders are involved and further that existing systems for the maintenance and renewal of heritage be strengthened and supported rather than replaced.

An early project undertaken by NIRLAC¹ to look into these issues was the restoration of wall paintings in the temple of Dorje Chenmo. The temple of Dorje Chenmo lies within the historic village of Shey in the former kingdom of Ladakh, today forming part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Shey is well-known in the region as the former capital of Ladakh in the 15th and 16th centuries and even earlier as the first capital in the 11th century. The palace and fort lie north of the village itself. The antiquity of the village is testified by the large number of ancient chortens (Buddhist stupas often containing relics of the great teachers and monks) and by the fact that these ancient structures link directly with the 11th century monastic establishment at the village of Nyarma located ahead. Nyarma was once a thriving monastic establishment.

 

 

According to the village elders, when Nyarma was abandoned the images were removed and installed at the Thikse monastery and subsequently enshrined within this temple. Nyarma was once a large, well-connected site associated with the renowned master and scholar Rinchen Bzang-po, who in the 11th century spearheaded a Buddhist renaissance in this region. The earliest extant temples in Ladakh are associated with him and differ substantially in architectural and artistic style from later day temples. It is, therefore, interesting to note that Dorje Chenmo, the yul lha² of Shey, is said to have accom panied Rinchen Bzang-po in order to assist him in his missionary task and to perpetuate his work after his departure.³ Every year at the time of the Srub lha (the festival of ‘offering the first crop to the gods’ which marks the beginning of the harvest),⁴ an oracle is held in Shey where Dorje Chenmo takes possession of a lay medium and through the medium pronounces portents for the village. This oracle is believed to be one of the most powerful in Ladakh.

 

 

We first visited the temple of Dorje Chenmo in 2000 on the way back from a visit to Nyarma. It was evident that newer construction had changed much of the original form of the building with the addition of a new first floor. However, the ground floor appeared to be part of the original construction and was being used as a storeroom with old sacks and grass carelessly stacked inside. The roof itself was sagging at places and had been propped up with a temporary column placed in the centre of the room. The chamber was tiny and with a small raised platform at one end, behind which were large circular stucco medallions with holes where images would once have been pinned. The walls themselves were completely blackened with centuries of soot and there appeared to be nothing of interest until somebody climbed the platform and shone the torch on the wall to the left.

There, gazing benevolently through the mists of time at us, was the face of a Buddha (one of the five Dhyani Buddhas) which, even though completely obscured, seemed to hint at the rich colours and gold with which it had been painted. Further investigation revealed paintings of Buddhas along the entire eastern wall while on the western wall were traces of what appeared to be figures riding huge horses (only the legs could actually be discerned, and we later learnt that they were of Dorje Chenmo). The style of construction of this temple appears to be of an early period, although the paintings themselves probably date to no earlier than the 17th century.

 

 

The temple was owned by the Hemis monastery and monks deputed from Hemis would perform all the pujas for the village at the newly constructed temple chamber above. It was from this new temple that the oracle would emerge every year; the temple thus had a significant role in the community’s life. The villagers, however, were actively involved in the management and maintenance of the temple and so we first approached them to discuss the prospects of restoring the old temple.

The villagers were unaware of the paintings within, as the walls were completely blackened. Intensive discussions were held with the Shey Gandhuns Tsogspa, the local village committee, in particular with the Secretary who is also the current oracle. Discussions with the sarpanch and other villagers, as well as the monks in charge of the temples, were intended to explain what the project would entail as well as raise awareness on the possibility of restoring ancient wall paintings.

Many historic structures in Ladakh had exquisite wall paintings that over time became obscured. Old constructions were often abandoned for newer ones, or simply repaired and repainted. It was hoped that the proposed project would demonstrate how these abandoned heritage structures could be restored and re-integrated within community life. As Shey was easily accessible from Leh, monks from other nearby monasteries and villages could easily visit the site and help generate awareness about the restoration of wall paintings.

 

 

Funds were raised and work commenced in May 2003.⁵ The project essentially focused on the restoration of wall paintings within the temple. An assessment of the building revealed the need for limited architectural conservation, which was also carried out during the course of the project. The restoration of wall paintings involved the consolidation of damaged sections, cleaning the painted surface and finally re-touching of critical sections where required. Masons and carpenters to undertake the architectural conservation works were provided by the villagers while a team of painting conservators worked on the restoration of the wall paintings.

The villagers made regular visits to the temple even as work progressed on the paintings. As the paintings gradually began to emerge from centuries of darkness there was awe and wonder at the quality of workmanship. Here definitely lay the hands of a great master. Simon Digby, an art historian, who visited the site on behalf of the Intach UK Trust to evaluate the project stated: ‘In contrast to the royal fort on the hill above, the temple in the village of Shey sometimes is not even mentioned in some guidebooks and has often remained closed to visitors. I myself had never previously been admitted to it, and the interior came as a revelation to me. Structurally the mud plaster of the walls has suffered comparatively little damage, and the main task of conservation has been to clear the smoky grime of the murals. Investment by Intach (UK Trust) in this project has yielded sensational results, revealing striking murals in the style of an individual master…’

On entering the temple, to the right were images of the fierce guardian deities, one of whom was of Dorje Chenmo astride a horse while on the left were depicted, in fine detail, the Five Dhyani Buddhas (Amitabha, Ratnasambhava, Amoghasiddhi, Vairocana and Aksobhya) along with the great lamas and scholars of the Druk-pa Kargyud order.

The project, however, does raise several ethical issues which need examination in order to bridge the gap between sacred beliefs and scientific conservation principles.

A damaged image of a deity cannot be left incomplete and yet the efforts at retouching must surely be clearly distinguishable from the original. In this case several approaches were tried which included outlining and completing missing portions of the deities where evidence was still available. The merits of each approach were discussed with the community to reach a consensus on the final presentation of the images. As a monk succinctly stated, ‘For the western eye these paintings may be viewed as art but for us they have an immense spiritual value and it is that which cannot be portrayed as damaged or incomplete.’

The Shey Gandhuns Tsogspa and NIRLAC organised special visits for schoolchildren to explain the process of the restoration of the paintings. Monks from other monasteries too visited the temple and evinced keen interest in the restoration work.

Discussions on an appropriate re-use of this chamber were initiated as the project was nearing completion. Given that the images from the new temple above could not be re-enshrined here as the entire ritual of the re-consecration of images in the new temple had already been done, the community suggested housing the many volumes of the sacred texts within the chamber. Doing this, however, would completely block the view of the newly restored wall paintings.

The Shey Srub lha was held in September 2003 while these discussions were still going on. At the time of the Srub lha the oracle goes into a trance; he is believed to be possessed by the deity Dorje Chenmo who then makes prophecies for the village. The oracle, donning the costumes of brocaded silk and precious ornaments, then begins a ritual procession through the village starting from the temple of Dorje Chenmo. We were later informed by the villagers that the oracle had evinced appreciation for the restoration of her original residence and congratulated the village on its efforts. This appreciation by the oracle has greatly encouraged further conservation work in Shey. The conservation programme in Shey has now expanded to look at other historic structures in the village, particularly the numerous chortens which dot the village landscape.

 

 

In April 2004 a painting competition for the children was held outside the temple to commemorate World Heritage Day with the theme, the restoration of the wall paintings of Dorje Chenmo. Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary of the Hemis Gompa called for raising awareness among the youth about their valuable heritage and to examine other conservation needs of the village. A prayer ceremony was held within the newly restored temple. A village meeting was organized to discuss the future conservation work needed in the village as well as the re-use of the old temple. Given its association with the oracle (and the recent approval of the work by the oracle), it was agreed that the link between the deity and the old temple be restored and the space re-used to display the ritual paraphernalia associated with the oracle.

 

 

Most importantly, the project highlights the close link between the tangible and intangible aspects of this heritage which must be recognized while developing a conservation methodology for this region. Interactions with monks visiting the site also drew attention to the need for safeguarding the rituals associated with the restoration of living temples and incorporating them into the conservation programme. For instance, in living temples, the conservation process should integrate rituals for shifting the energy during the restoration and reconsecrating the site on completion. The conservation programme cannot simply view the temple in isolation of its sacred meaning and value.

As Dzongsar Ngari Chödje Rinpoche once remarked: ‘The older the monastery the better is the accuracy of iconography of statues and paintings, and most essentially, the greater is the spiritual value, because they were blessed and consecrated by those great old masters who possessed immense energy which they infused into these places, creating reserves of energy in these places which one could still feel. Therefore, these temples and monasteries with its contents should be maintained, safeguarded and restored for the sake of all humankind.’⁶

 

Footnotes:

1. The Namgyal Institute for Research on Ladakhi Art and Culture (NIRLAC) was set up by Rani Parvati Devi of Ladakh, to work towards the conservation of Ladakh’s cultural heritage. The conservation programme commenced in the year 2000 and over the past four years has been working with monastic and village communities in Ladakh in developing a sustainable conservation methodology for the region.

2. Yul lha literally means ‘god (lha) of the land (yul)’ and may broadly be defined as the guardian deity of the village.

3. Pascale Dollfus, ‘No Sacred Mountain in Central Ladakh?’ in Anne-Marie Blondeau and Ernst Steinkellner (ed.) Reflections of the Mountain – Essays on the History and Social Meaning of the Mountain Cult in Tibet and the Himalayas, 1996.

4. Pascale Dollfus, ibid.

5. The restoration of the wall paintings was funded by Unesco. INTACH UK Trust also provided a grant to document the paintings prior to commencing work.

6. Presentation at the Working Group Meeting on ‘Restoration and Conservation of Monastic Heritage of the Himalayan Region’ organized by UNESCO/NIRLAC in collaboration with the National Museum, New Delhi, October 2003.