The Founding Inscription in the gSer khan of Lalung - (Spiti, Himachal Pradesh)

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Founding Inscription in the gSer Khang of Lalung (Spiti, Himachal Pradesh)
Subtitle: Edition and Annotated Translation
Author: Kurt Tropper
Publisher: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
Place of Publication: Dharamsala, India
Publication Year: 2008
Language: English and Tibetan
Format: Paperback
Pagination: 95 pages
ISBN-10: 81-86470-67-0
ISBN-13: 978-81-86470-67-1

Description

This scholarly primary-source study presents the first complete critical edition and annotated English translation of the fragmentary founding inscription in the gSer Khang temple at Lalung in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. One of the oldest surviving literary documents from Spiti, the inscription is an important source for research in Tibetan studies, Western Himalayan history, Buddhist studies and epigraphy.

Although H. L. Shuttleworth brought the inscription to scholarly attention in 1929, previous attempts to edit and translate it remained unpublished. Kurt Tropper’s study is based upon detailed digital documentation of the surviving inscription together with earlier transcriptions prepared at the site.

The volume also incorporates previously unpublished transcriptions discovered among the papers of the noted Tibetologist A. H. Francke. These are presented in transliteration and reproduced as facsimile images. With its critical edition, Tibetan text, annotated translation, textual notes, bibliography, appendices, plates and index, the book provides an important documentary foundation for further research on the inscription and the cultural history of the Western Himalayas.

Condition

This copy has been physically checked and is in excellent condition. It has been preserved on our shelves in a protective plastic cover. Please review the photographs for the condition of the actual copy being offered.

Contents

1. Introduction
   General Description
   Present State of Research
   Dating

2. Notes on the Edition and Translation
   General Remarks
   Editorial Signs

3. Edition

4. Translation

5. Bibliography

Appendix A: Irregular Spellings

Appendix B: Text of Francke’s Manuscripts
Entries “No. 203” and “No. 204” in Section VII, Notebook 9
Entries “No. 203” and “No. 204” in the Single Notebook of Section XI

Plates

Index