Keywords
Oracle of Wanla
Art & Architecture
Oral tradition
Buddhism
How to Cite
Abstract
One of the most important historical and architectural sites, of the most unknown era of Ladakh is the monastery of Wanla. Situated in the middle of the village on a ridge the three-story temple, along with a fort and small chapel dedicated to the Oracle of Wanla and Guru Padamsambhava, stands. This paper examines the art and architecture of the monastery which was built in the first half of the 14th century, and explores the cultural history of the Oracle of Wanla through oral histories and folklore, which play a significant role in the spiritual practices of the village. This study is based on historical analysis, archaeological understanding, local interviews, and photographic documentation which helps us examine the relationship between material culture and oral tradition.
References
1. Crook, J. H. (1997). The Indigenous Psychiatry of Ladakh, part ii: Narrative and Metanarrative in the Cultural Control of Dissociative States in the Himalayas. Anthropology & Medicine, 51, 23-42.
2. Cunningham, A. (1854). Ladak, Phusical, Statistical, and Historical . London: Allen and Co.
3. Dolma, Y. (2024). Chetsang Rinpoche unveils statue of Lonpo Tashi Nurbu Dadul Wangchuk in Wanla. Reach Ladakh.
4. Francke, A. H. (1905). A History of Western Tibet. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services.
5. Khyentse, F. (2023, July 4). Khyentse Foundation. Retrieved from https://khyentsefoundation.org/story/nils-martin-receives-2023-kf-award-for-outstanding-phd-dissertation-in-buddhist-studies/
6. Kozicz, G. (2000). The Wanla Temple. Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the IATS (pp. 127-136). Brill.
7. Luczanits, C. (2000). The Wanla Bkra Shis Gsum Brtsegs. Proceedings of the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (pp. 115-125). Brill.
8. Luczanits, C. (2015). The Interior Decoration of Wanla.
9. Martin, N. (2023). The Temple of Wanla: A Landmark Monument in the Art History of Ladakh. Retrieved from Project Himalayan Art, Rubin Museum of Art: https://projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum.org/essays/the-temple-of-wanla/
10. Namgyal, M. (2024). Wanle Lonpo. (T. Dolkar, Interviewer)
11. Pabel, R. (2014). The Wanla Temple in Ladakh: Structural Interventions on a Buddhist Sacred Building. PhD dissertation.
12. Petech, L. (1978). The Brigun-pa Sect in Western Tibet and Ladakh. Proceedings of the Csoma de Koros Memorial Symposium, 313-325.
13. Tonyot, G. (2023). On Wanla Monastery Murals and Art inside the temple. (T. Dolkar, Interviewer)
14. Tropper, K. (2003). The Historical Inscription in the Gsum Brtsegs Temple at Wanla, Ladakh. Proceedings of the Tenth Seminar of the IATS. (pp. 105-150). Brill.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 South India Journal of Social Sciences