Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

Description: Publisher’s Description: This illustrated volume presents a wide variety of themes from the historical and modern periods of Bhutan, illustrating change and adaptation to new realities. Topics covered include the exploration of early history, Buddhism and the lives of Bhutanese Buddhist saints, the changing role of local, non-Buddhist religious practitioners in today’s society, traditional law and the emergence of a modern legal system, and the seasonal celebrations of an aristocratic family from central Bhutan. The book will be of special interest to students of early Tibetan history, legal history, comparative sociology and cultural anthropology of the Himalayan regions.

Table of Contents: Introduction / John A. Ardussi and Françoise Pommaret -- A Preliminary Investigation of Bhutanese Castle Ruins and Caves Associated with Lha sras Gtsang ma / John A. Ardussi -- Lo gsar Celebration: the Significance of Food in the Noble and Religious Family of O rgyan chos gling (Central Bhutan) / Kunzang Choden -- Bstan ’dzin Chos rgyal’s Bhutan Legal Code of 1729 in Comparison with Sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho’s Guidelines for Government Officials / Christoph Cüppers -- Acquiring Power: Becoming a Pawo (dpa ’bo) / Tandin Dorji -- Ob virulentas nonnularum herbarum exhalationes / George van Driem -- Kaḥ thog pa Bsod nams rgyal mtshan (1466-1540) and the Foundation of O rgyan rtse mo in Spa gro / Franz-Karl Ehrhard -- Patterns in the Ritual Dissemination of Padma Gling pa’s Treasures / Holly Gayley -- Rituals and Pilgrimage Devoted to Aum Jo mo Re ma ti by the ’Brog pas of Me rag of Eastern Bhutan / Ugyen Pelgen -- Estate and Deities: a Ritual from Central Bhutan. The Bskang gso of O rgyan chos gling / Françoise Pommaret -- Changing the Contours of the Legal Landscape: the Jambi Act 2003 / Richard W. Whitecross