Mangyu, Ladakh

The temples at the village of Mangyu once quite literally rivalled those of Alchi (འལ་ཅི་) in age and artistic quality, but they are much less well preserved today. While Alchi was founded by representatives of the Dro (འབྲོ་) clan, Mangyu was financed by the Mer (སྨེར་) clan. A sense of rivalry between the two groups can be recognised not only in the level of artistic ambition but also in the specific interpretation of Buddhism represented at each site.

The documentation assembled in the (◊ Mangyu) gallery is focused predominantly on the clay sculptures. The sole monument for which the full documentation has been added is the ◊ Four Sculpture Chörten, whose paintings are certainly among the highlights of Mangyu. While I have drawn on this documentation extensively for comparative purposes, I have not published a standalone study on Mangyu beyond its clay sculptures.