Talk - SPITI through Legend and Lore May 16, 2009

Talk - SPITI through Legend and Lore an illustrated talk by Kishore Thukral. Imagine a remote valley high up in the western Indian Himalayas, abutting Tibet, a valley that at various times in history has been part of the Tibetan realm, a valley one hundred per cent Buddhist, a valley abounding in fossils of maritime inhabitants of the prehistoric Tethys Sea, a valley with a stunning moonscape, a valley that is a world within a world. A world they call Spiti.Sandwiched between perennially snow-capped mountains, Spiti remains largely unknown. The approach to the valley is not easy. The narrow, rough road leading to it takes one through canyons, across streams, beneath overhangs and over high mountain-passesTibet is barely a days walk away. Little wonder then that Tibetan Buddhism has flourished in Spiti for over 1000 years, a period that also saw the founding of magnificent monasteries such as Tabo, Dangkhar, Ghungri, Tangyud and Key. The mystique of the land is palpable. Spitis history, unlike that of Tibet , is for the most part unrecorded. Yet it boasts an equally rich heritage, among it a repository of local legends and tales. In his illustrated talk, Kishore Thukral will take the audience on an exploration of the hidden valley, discovering en route its uniqueness and exoticism through its legends and folklore.Kishore Thukral has trekked, photographed and researched extensively in the western Himalayas . Born, raised and residing in Delhi , he has been a member of several mountaineering expeditions and is the author of Spiti through Legend and Lore, The Chroniclers Daughter (a novel in English), as well as short stories and plays in Hindi.. Kishore is the founder of the Dhangkar Initiative, an ongoing project that aims to link the restoration of the ancient Dhangkar monastery in Spiti with a livelihood generation programme for the local community (www.dhangkar.com). Through his efforts Dhangkar was recognized by the World Monuments Fund in 2006 -07 as one of the hundred most endangered historical sites in the world. (www.wmf.org) Kishore is also a founder-promoter of Tusita Divine Art (www.tusitadivineart.com), an enterprise that seeks to promote Buddhist Art.

Official Website: http://www.buzzintown.com/?102413&ref=yupg&refcity=1