Sacred Landscape of the Himalaya: Proceedings of an International Conference at Heidelberg 22-27 May, 1998

Where the mountains can be gods it seems obvious to talk about the sacredness of landscape: The proceedings of an international seminar at Heidelberg in May 1998 presents nine case studies covering the entire range of the Himalaya, from Ladakh and Garhwal in India, to Humla and Mustang in Nepal as well as Bhutan. The focus is on space-related architectural and/or anthropological analysis of the built environment and its location in landscape - a term that denotes the uniqueness and singularity of a certain place. The presented cases document how on various scales territories are identified with protective deities, a quality that requires ritual renewal through processions and physical acts like colouring. Actions and perceptions allow the reader to understand landscape as a process rather than an essence of space. Based on original fieldwork of seven architects, three anthropologists and one Tibetologist carried out during the decade preceding the conference, this volume presents - for the first time - Himalayan settlements with detailed maps of villages and architectural drawings of houses. The extensive visual presentation allows the reader to enter into the complex world of valleys that construct the mountains as the realm of the gods.