Bhutan's Buddhist Architecture

Bhutan's Buddhist Architecture

Author: Laura Blake

Publisher:

Published: 2015-10-01

Total Pages: 110

ISBN-13: 9780996663908

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Bhutan is a small Himalayan country with a rich Buddhist heritage and a striking architectural style. Bhutan's Buddhist Architecture provides an introduction and travel guide to the country's beautiful temples, monasteries and dzongs--the fortresses built while Bhutan was being unified as a Buddhist state. Illustrated with maps, plans, and more than a hundred photographs the book includes brief historical and architectural overviews, a dozen examples of the country's best-known buildings, and a pictorial glossary of forty Buddhist symbols commonly used in building decoration.


Fabric of Life - Textile Arts in Bhutan

Fabric of Life - Textile Arts in Bhutan

Author: Karin Altmann

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2015-11-27

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 311042861X

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This extensive work dedicated to the unique textile art of Bhutan is an impressive illustration of how closely art, spirituality, and life are interwoven in the last of the Buddhist kingdoms in the Himalayas. It gives new insight into Bhutanese cosmology, worldview, culture, and society, which is associated with a variety of historical, philosophical, religious, social, and artistic perspectives. The remote mountain location, low-key foreign policy, and basic principles of Buddhism has made it possible for Bhutan, the last of the Buddhist kingdoms in the Himalayas, to preserve a remarkable form of textile art that is interwoven with all aspects of life. Karin Altmann shows us Bhutan textiles in their diversity: they are clothes and everyday objects, currency and commodity, mark important events as gifts during life, and are testament to the social status of a person. But they are also an integral aspect of religious festivals, dances, and rituals that provide insight into the mystical and religious beliefs of the Bhutanese people, and reflect the concept of gender in Bhutanese society. The book also tells the story of a country that is searching for a sensitive balance between tradition and progress in a globalized world.


Bhutan

Bhutan

Author: Michael Hawley, Jr.

Publisher: Big Books for Little People

Published: 2004-01

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9780974246932

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BHUTAN is a smaller companion volume to the world's largest published book, the 5x7' photographic book called BHUTAN. This book opens to nearly three feet, and offers an eyeful of imagery from several expeditions across the legendary mountain kingdom. Teams from MIT and Friendly Planet traveled extensively with two young people, Choki Lhamo (age 14, a girl from Trongsa who aspires to be a doctor) and Gyelsey Loday (also 14, son of the head lama in far-off Phongmey). This book shares a bit of their beautiful corner of the world. Proceeds are largely tax-deductible and are donated to help Bhutan's schools and scholars.


Grace of the Kira

Grace of the Kira

Author: David K. Barker

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2013-03-13

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1479780561

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The legendary weaving tradition of Bhutan, spanning several centuries with meticulously-constructed traditional and classic design layouts, continue to be woven to this day. This photographic volume provides a visual tribute and catalogue of the kira. It is the national and traditional dress of Bhutanese womenfolk worn with pride, in daily life and on special occasions. This key catalogue and special focus on kiras begins the exploration with the kishung or poncho, said to be the forerunner of the presentday kira. The photographs in this volume document the kira’s evolution as a garment. Depending on the quality and intricacy of patterns, the weaver may be required to spend up to two years of daylight hours to create one kira. The kira is akin to a blank canvas upon which weavers display, thread by thread, their creative inspiration. The excellence, evidence of painstaking crafting, and highly-formed creative abilities of the Bhutanese women weavers present to us a visual range of wearable art that is both beautiful and functional. Expression of design skills provides a near-kaleidoscopic montage of elegance where Bhutanese fashion and art merge as one. In this day and age, the user, beholder, collector, and heirloom historian are indeed fortunate to fully enjoy and appreciate this living tradition and heritage of art and craft.


Author:

Publisher: Soffer Publishing

Published:

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13:

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Introduction to Bhutan

Introduction to Bhutan

Author: Gilad James, PhD

Publisher: Gilad James Mystery School

Published:

Total Pages: 81

ISBN-13: 4786604798

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Bhutan is a small landlocked country situated in the eastern Himalayas. It is bordered by India to the south, east and west, and China to the north. Bhutan is known for its unique approach towards measuring progress through the Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, rather than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The index measures happiness and well-being in areas such as community vitality, cultural diversity, environmental conservation, and good governance. Buddhism is the predominant religion in Bhutan, and it is deeply ingrained in the country's culture. The government has also placed emphasis on preserving the country's cultural heritage, and Bhutan is known for its architecture, art, dances, and festivals. Visitors to Bhutan can explore ancient dzongs (fortresses) and monasteries, hike the stunning Himalayan mountains, and experience unique cultural events such as the Paro Tsechu (festival). With its focus on sustainable development and preservation of its cultural heritage, Bhutan offers an unforgettable and enriching travel experience.


Bhutan

Bhutan

Author: Robert Cooper

Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC

Published: 2020-04-15

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1502655764

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Bhutan is a ruggedly mountainous country known for its cliff-side monasteries and snowcapped peaks. Colorful prayer flags wind their way through breezy gorges. The magical and mystical personality of Bhutan can be felt from the highest mountaintops to the deepest valleys, and down every ancient alleyway in between. This guidebook explores the traditional culture, diverse wildlife, ancient arts, and newest developments inside the kingdom of Bhutan. Informative sidebars, detailed maps, up-to-date facts, and vibrant photographs help illuminate the history and mystery of this Asian nation.


Himalayan Architecture

Himalayan Architecture

Author: Ronald M. Bernier

Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 9780838636022

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This broad treatment of architecture throughout the region of the Himalaya mountains is the first book of its kind. The author has based this study on many years of research in Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Assam, and the Darjeeling area of northeast India, northern Pakistan, and Himachal Pradesh in India's northwest. These areas make up an artistic and, to some degree, a cultural unit. It is unique and definable for its design qualities as well as its use of materials. Dramatic and lofty structures rise as towering palaces and as temples dedicated to Hindu and Buddhist ideals. The impact of neighboring Tibet and India is often evident in the art, but other influences are found as well. The area has not been isolated, as some studies suggest, but was in fact always linked to the rest of Asia and to the West by means of the Silk Road, at least since the second century B.C. This study progresses from east to west, beginning in the foothills of India's Assam. It is richly illustrated with photographs, most of which are the author's or his wife's, and many of the photographs are published here for the first time. The archives of the Archaeological Survey of India and the Department of Archaeology of His Majesty's Government of Nepal are also used here.


The History of Bhutan

The History of Bhutan

Author: Karma Phuntsho

Publisher: Haus Publishing

Published: 2014-08-15

Total Pages: 830

ISBN-13: 1908323590

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In 2008, Bhutan triumphantly took the stage as the world’s youngest democracy. But despite its growing prominence—and rising scholarly interest in the country—Bhutan remains one of the least studied, and least well-known places on the planet. Karma Phuntsho’s The History of Bhutan is the first book to offer a comprehensive history of Bhutan in English. Along with a detailed social and political analysis, it offers substantive discussions of Bhutan’s geography and culture; the result is the clearest, richest account of this nation and its history ever published for general readers. A 2015 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title Award Winner