Pearl of the Snowlands

Pearl of the SnowlandsThe Derge Parkhang (also called the Derge Sutra Printing Temple) is one of the foremost cultural, social, religious and historical institutions in Tibet. Founded in 1729 by Tenba Tsering, the fortieth King of Derge (16781739), the Derge Parkhang is a repository for more than 300,000 woodblocks and an active center for the publication of sutra, commentaries, tetra, and histories of Tibetan Traditional Buddhism. It is also home to a significant

The Derge Parkhang (also called the Derge Sutra Printing Temple) is one of the foremost cultural, social, religious and historical institutions in Tibet. Founded in 1729 by Tenba Tsering, the fortieth King of Derge (1678Ð1739), the Derge Parkhang is a repository for more than 300,000 woodblocks and an active center for the publication of sutra, commentaries, tetra, and histories of Tibetan Traditional Buddhism. It is also home to a significant collection of woodblocks for printing thangka, prayer flags, mandala, and other spiritual images. Located on present-day SichuanÕs border with the Tibetan Autonomous Region in the area called Kham or Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the Derge Parkhang is the only survivor of the great historic Tibetan printing temples.

This book is a catalog designed to accompany an exhibition held at Wesleyan University and Columbia College Chicago. The catalog contains essays, numerous photographs of the people, places, and process of the Derge Parkhang.