Key Information

Photographer

Sir Charles Bell or Rabden Lepcha?

Collection

Sir Charles Bell

Date of Photo

April 14th 1921?

Region

Lhasa Area > Dra Yerpa

Accession number

1998.285.63

Image Dimensions

120 x 163 mm

Dra Yerpa Monastery, where Atisha lived, with chortens in lower foreground. Cave dwelling of Lopon Rimpoche

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative glass plate gelatin , Negative Half Plate

Date Acquired

Donated 1983

Donated by

St Antony's College, Oxford.

Expedition

Sir Charles Bell's Mission to Lhasa 1920-21

Photo also owned by

Royal Central Asiatic Society

Previous Catologue Number

H.60

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

BL.H.60a

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Bell's List of Illustrations entry: "[No. of chapter] IV. [Subject of Chapter] History up to 1900. [Subject of illustration] H60 (n) Trayerpa Monastery, right portion, where Atisha lived. In the rock marked X is the 'Moon Cave' where Lopon Rimpoche lived for one or two years."

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: The List of Illustrations does not distinguish between Bl.H.60a and BL. H.60b. The 'X' referred to in Bell's notes is not visible on either image. 1998.285.64 is in sharper focus. [MS 14/5/2004]

Notes on print/mount - Contact print 1998.285.63 has the full index entry transcribed on the reverse, but 1998.285.63 only has the note 'Trayerpa Monastery' [MS 14/5/2004]

Other Information - Description: In his List of Illustrations entry for H.61 [1998.285.65 & 1998.285.66] Bell gives the following additional information about the chortens at the foot of the hill: "This monstery has 108 chotens; in the larger are the ashes of Atisha's main disciples; in the smaller ones are clay images made by Atisha". However H.61 [1998.285.65 & 1998.285.66] contains the visual reference to the chortens [MS 14/5/2004]

Other Information - Setting

Other Information - Setting: Bell's diary entry for 14th April 1921, describing a journey to Ganden monastery and village:'After going some distance across the ferry [at Shang-ka] we see, high up in the mountains to our left the Tra yer-pa monastery, famous as the residence of Lord (Cho) Atisha. The monastery has grown in size since Atisha's time; when he lived there many people came from Lhasa to see and hear him" [Vol.X, pp.4-5]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Dra Yerpa Monastery" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.285.63.html>.

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Dra Yerpa Monastery