The temple compound of Nako, hitherto quite unnoticed, bears evidence of a series of distinctive features related to the artistic and architectural production in Western Himalaya during the X-XII centuries.
Situated in High Kinnaur, near the Shipki La pass (on the Indo-Tibetan border) and dominating over the confluence of the Sutlej and Spiti rivers, the Nako complex occupies a strategic position along the trade route that connects India with the Tibetan plateau.
The name of the site itself, in the proposed tibetan transliteration, means «the Door of the Buddhist» and can be regarded as an hint to the main route followed by Indian paṇḍita and Tibetan translators at the beginning of the Second Diffusion of Buddhism.
As a matter of fact, its planimetry, architecture, sculpture and painting point out to the influence of the Indian stylistic schools, blended with the Tibetan techniques, building materials and chromatic preferences, as was the norm during the Rin.chen.bzang.po age.
The photographic documentation, here published for the first time, is the result of a field research on the site carried out by the author.
Part one includes a general description of the site and a close analysis of the Lo.tsa'.ba'i Lha.khang Gong.ma. In the forthcoming Part two the remaining temples, the gTsug.lag.khang and the rGya.dpag.pa'i Lha.khang, will be discussed.
目次
Descrizione generale 189 Il Lo.tsa'.baì Lha.khang Gong.ma 201 L'architettura 201 La scultura 206 La pittura 222 English Summary 234 RIFERIMENTI BIBLIOGRAFICI 235 ELENCO DELLE TAVOLE 237
