have a way to contact Ruth and Flaviu, but in early Setptember 2009 received their e-mail address and was given a response from them. I wanted to share this with…
…generally saw the light of day much more quickly. Lhasa Today One of the biggest news stories buzzing around the streets of Lhasa these days concerns the arrival of blood-sucking…
…an intriguing one but extremely difficult to address in a sound manner. Vast expanses of time and geography are involved, making the search for causal mechanisms like the quest for…
…Himalaya. The contents of the newsletter are: 1) A Review of the Early Cultural History of Spiti – Part Two The root song of Spiti The territorial deities of Spiti…
…Springs that have never dried up before have run dry. Rivers in the Kangra valley are a mere trickle. Temperatures are unseasonably high. For a quarter of a century the…
…to tourists. The second feature in this newsletter is by its principal author, John Vincent Bellezza. It is the first in a two-part article on the swastika in the rock…
…November newsletters, demonstrating that animal style art disseminated more widely on the Tibetan plateau in antiquity. A Scintillating Visage: Another golden burial mask comes to light Fig. 1. A prehistoric…
…of Tibet’s most important rock-art sites. As you shall see there are more extraordinary images to enjoy in this issue of the newsletter. The final feature concerns evidence for the…
…a highly informative article on the stone-roofed structures of Ladakh to this newsletter. To complement his study, I shall provide additional information on one site of particular interest, Nyarma. This…
animal style rock art in Ruthok indicates that this area actively interfaced with other regions of Inner Asia. Ruthok shares a frontier with Ladakh and Xinjiang, which were also recipients…
…so many other articles featured in these newsletters, this is something you will not find elsewhere. A Survey of the Rock Art of Spiti – Part 3 Please see…
…As explained in last month’s newsletter, the animal style pervaded much of the vast Eurasian continent in the Iron Age. Sinuous Shapes: The Eurasian animal style rock art of Upper…
…for us today. This book is written as a tribute to the endurance and ingenuity of the Tibetan people, and as a source of inspiration for all those who cherish…
…birth of the Zhang Zhung’s greatest god, Gekhoe (Ge-khod). The newsletter examines the mythic genesis of Gekhoe and the archaeological monuments situated at his birthplace. Only in 2009 did I…
Welcome to another Flight of the Khyung as we journey to uncover the secrets of ancient Tibet! Many of the places and things highlighted in these newsletters have been…
…We examine the cultural ecology of a pastoral encampment in Upper Tibet based on a mini study I made in 1994. This newsletter comes from just one daily journal entry….
…either stolen or discarded by the Kazakhs. Pawo Akar found the phyi-gling or ritual mirror he uses in the ruins of a Buddhist monastery, while he discovered his chu-gling, another…
…to a good family meal in the USA Guru Gyam, 2002 Tashido caves early 2000s Yardrok Yumtso in 1987 Ruthok, 2001 Nagar, northern Pakistan, 1989 Tasting Butter in Lhasa 2008…
…the Lopon. As with Buddhism, Bon is attracting an ever wider circle of mainland Chinese followers. These are mostly educated and affluent individuals, searching for a more profound dimension in…
The latest in Tibetan archaeology This month’s Flight of the Khyung returns to the International Conference on the Prehistory of the Tibetan Plateau, held between August 21 and August…
…keen to understand the function and significance of the ruins charted, and to gain a better idea of the people who built and inhabited them. In my work, I therefore…
…rule, the Mongolians are an honest, helpful and hospitable people. They have a long and noble history, something in which they rightfully take much pride. Fond of horse racing, wrestling,…
…(Old Tibetan = white). These five syllables make up a spell or mantra, all five syllables of which are found in current Bon esoteric religious usage. However, this mantra has…
…in Guge Lone stele Temple remains associated with Zhang Zhung’s chief goddess, Drablai Gyalmo The White Castle, Ruthok A red ochre Bon endless knot upon which the Buddhist mani mantra…
…Here we are in the capital city and archaeological exploration has hardly begun. Imagine the situation in rural Himalayan areas. These constitute vast blanks in our scientific knowledge of Nepal….
…an eventful journey, which culminated in reaching the ruins of an ancient Bon hermitage-temple at sacred Lake Nam Tsho. As readers will know, after 20 years of trying, I finally…
…metallurgy in Tibet in this and next month’s newsletter was written with the support of the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council, New York. I am…
…While I attempt to issue this newsletter at the beginning of each month, that is not always possible given my travel schedule and work demands. It appears as though I…
…with no disturbances or interruptions. As I compose this newsletter, I am pleased to say that the only sounds coming from outside are the cries of the birds. The view…
