Heavenly Himalayas: The Murals of Mangyu and other discoveries in Ladakh, by Peter van Ham

This volume presents for the first time in book form important and largely unknown treasures of Indo-Kashmiri Buddhism. From the first century BCE to the thirteenth century, Kashmir was a thriving center of Buddhist culture and art. The rise of Islamic peoples led to the destruction of all temples constructed there during the Buddhist era. Yet in the remote Himalayas of Ladakh and other neighboring locations, a few of these archaeological and artistic treasures are exquisitely preserved and are reproduced here for the first time. This volume takes readers on a journey through these remote sites, focusing especially on the amazing temple complex of Mangyu. The chapels, shrines, and dazzling murals presented here not only reveal much about late Mahayana Buddhism in India-its art, culture, and history-but also help fill a gap in our knowledge of the development of early Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.