TIBETAN CULTURE

Featured student projects from Columbia University

Featured Projects from Tibetan Civilization Coursework at Columbia University

Lepcha: A Case Study of Tibetanization in the Borderlands

Alex Whitman HSEA4812 S17 Dr. Tuttle Final Paper Lepcha: A Case Study of Tibetanization in the Borderlands Abstract The Lepcha people (self-referentially the Rong) are commonly recognized as the first inhabitants of Sikkim. The Lepcha claim to indigeneity lies closely in the historical linkage between Mount Khangchendzonga and Lepcha religious tradition, which … [Read more...]

Tibet Chronology

The Periodization of Tibetan History: General Chronology This timeline includes dates of influential Tibetan figures and major political eras. At this point it does not attempt to represent the whole of the Tibetan cultural region, nor does it portray Tibetan history from a variety of subject-specific rubrics – art, medicine, literature, politics – in any systematic fashion. We … [Read more...]

Development of Tibetan Monasteries

This dynamic map below demonstrates the long-term development of monasteries in Tibet from the 7th century to 2013. The red color shows the density of the clusters of monasteries. This map with timeline bar shows many interesting phenomenon. For example, after the 18th century, monasteries in western Amdo had significant growth. In fact, this trend is closely related to the … [Read more...]

Showing the Size of Tibetan Monasteries: Counting Monks and Monastic Housing

Maps by Valentina Strokopytova These maps visually represent the number of monks, monks quarters, and other rooms/spaces in the monasteries (the key to the map can be accessed by clicking on the double arrow in the top left corner). While some Tibetan Buddhist monasteries have been studied for their artistic, historical, or cultural significance, these maps start to allow us to … [Read more...]

Religious Affiliations of Monasteries in Tibet

The monasteries of the different religious traditions of Tibet are represented on this map. The traditions, sometimes called sects, represent distinct lineages of teachers and teachings in the Tibetan Buddhist and Bon religions. The affiliations of some monasteries changed over time, and this map only represents the affiliation of monasteries in the 20th century. Some … [Read more...]

Livestock of Monasteries in Amdo

Map by Valentina Strokopytova. The economic data in this map is collected from the social investigation in Amdo coducted by the Chinese Communist Party in 1950s. Each orange spot is a single monastery, and the size of green circle represents the amount of livestocks of each monastery. … [Read more...]

Visualization Project

A mapping visualization project based on locations referenced in biographical texts. Visualization Project Report The following is a summary of the steps I took over the course of the visualization project. It will be useful for understanding the final output, and for anyone who wants to pick up where I left off. Phase I: Location and Significance Extraction This phase was … [Read more...]

‘Game of Thrones’ Tibetan Plateau Flyover Tour

Hi! Our names are Chase Manze and John Avendano and for our East Asian Civilization: Tibet, final project, we created a digital Google Earth flyover of the Tibetan plateau and surrounding areas. We decided to do it "Game of Thrones" style for a creative twist, and take you from our humble abode at Columbia University to the peak of Mount Everest, major cultural areas like Kham … [Read more...]

Chronology of Travel in Asia & Tibet

11th century Milarepa (1040-1123) "opened" Lapchi (la phyi) and spent years there and at Kailash, see Shabkar p. 443 12th century Drigung Jigten Gonpo (1143-1217) sent hermits to three holy mountains in southern Tibet: Kailash, Lapchi, Tsari with an administrator (Dordzin) as representative of Drigung Monastery to oversee them, see Shabkar 343 13th century 1213-1221 Drukpa … [Read more...]

Mapping Tibetan Culture

The website Mapping Tibetan Culture was created in Fall 2015 as a final project for ASCE V2365: Intro to Tibetan Civilization with Professor Gray Tuttle. Motivation One of the class assignments in our semester required us to work together as a class to locate centers of Tibetan culture around the world. I saw value in assimilating these datasets and attempting to map them to … [Read more...]