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The Stone Maitreya of Leh: The Rediscovery and Recovery of an Early Tibetan Monument

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2011

ANDRÉ ALEXANDER  and
SAM VAN SCHAIK
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Abstract

The rediscovery, conservation and repositioning of an ancient stone carved Buddha in Leh, Ladakh is one of the most important events in recent years for students of early Tibetan history and religion. Uncovering an inscription next to the carving has made it possible to date this artefact to the eleventh century or even earlier, while deciphering the inscription has confirmed that the figure should be identified as the Buddha Maitreya. This identification permits a better understanding of how the cult of Maitreya among of the emperors of imperial Tibet extended to western Tibet, and how the Maitreya images of western Tibet represent a specific local iconography.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 21 , Issue 4 , October 2011 , pp. 421 - 439
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 2011

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