All set for a two-year world tour

Monks of the central monastic body, trained in the conservation and restoration of thangkas, sculptures and religious ritual items, have been giving final touches to 111 sacred artifacts at the National Library in Thimphu, which will be exhibited in Honolulu, Hawaii, in February 2008.

A final invocation and appeasement ceremony, presided over by Tshugla Lopen, was carried out on November 24, at the library for the safe journey and return of the religious artifacts before handing them over to experts from the Honolulu academy.

Ceremonies were also carried out in individual monasteries and dzongs from where the objects were brought, according to officials of the department of culture.

After the ceremony, the artifacts will be packed by experts from Honolulu academy and flown out of the country on December 12.

The religious items will tour the world, over the next two years, starting from Honolulu to Rubin’s museum in New York and the Asian Arts in San Francisco, California.

The exhibits are to remain in each venue for three months, according to home ministry officials, after which they will be taken to other countries, which is yet to be finalised.

Experts from the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the home ministry and the central monastic body collected the exhibition items in 250 visits over a period of 18 months from 34 temples, monasteries and dzongs in the country. The artifacts were restored, removed of dirt and grime like fly droppings and soot from incense and butter lamps.

Among the 66 thangkas and 77 sculptures and religious ritual items like dorji, altar table, and torma, a statue of Tshepamey is considered to be one of the most sacred items, according to monks and the cultural officers of the home ministry.

The oldest, however, were statues of a sitting goddess (Kongtse Demo) cast in copper alloy with cold gold, belonging to the seventh or eighth century and a seated Sakyamuni, also belonging to the seventh century. The most recent items are those from the 19th century.

Thangkas depicting the Jataka tales or the eight manifestation of Guru Rinpoche had the paintings done on cotton with brocade mountings. A small hand drum, intricately crafted with bone, wood, leather and turquoise, was another exhibit.

Assistant curator of the Honolulu academy of arts, Mr John Johnston, said that, while the exhibits were an aesthetic accomplishment, they were mindful that these items were not just art works but also sacred.

“Monks will be attending the exhibitions and performing rituals throughout,� he said, adding that such an exhibition was a great privilege and he hoped that it would provide blessings to the whole world.

One criterion for selecting exhibits was iconographic elements and the period that they came from. “We wanted a mixture from different periods and, in that way, introduce Buddhist philosophy and concepts that are the embodiment of these arts,� said Mr Johnston.

The exhibition would feature different aspects and introduce different forms and religious icons such as Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the Nyingma masters and discuss Drukpa Kagyue, Pema Lingpa, Dorji Lingpa, the Buddhas and deities, according to the assistant curator. “There will also be a small gallery devoted to the chams,� he said.

As part of the same project, the Honolulu academy has also recorded different types of chams in the country and will be screening it during the exhibition.

According to the project co-coordinator of Bhutan exhibition, Phuntsho from the home ministry, the project had greatly benefitted Bhutan. “Especially in conserving and restoring the sacred objects and the dances by means of recording and archiving,� he said.

As part of the project, eight monks were trained in conservation of thangkas, six of whom where given hands-on training in Honolulu. Another eight were trained in conservation of art objects, statues and ritual objects.

“An exhibition catalogue was also prepared by experts from Honolulu academy and Bhutan and could be a reliable source for researchers, students and tourist guides,� said Phuntsho.

While the benefits were many, the exhibition would also enable western audiences to be blessed by the sacred objects and gain deeper understanding and appreciation of the values and traditions of the people of Bhutan, according to officials. Source: Kuenselonline