Scholar KARMA PHUNTSHO had one foot in traditional monastery training, the other in modern secular education at a top Western university. His latest book brings these facets together. By KARAN BHARDWAJ
For many years, Karma Phuntsho has been busy documenting Bhutan’s written and oral cultures. A scholar, social worker and head of the loden Foundation, an educational charity in Bhutan, Phuntsho has been digitally storing traditional Buddhist archives that have been lying in remote temples of Bhutan for ages, making them accessible to scholars and the general public.
“If you look at the Buddhist world, after the decline of Buddhism in Tibet, Mongolia, ladakh and Sikkim to some extent, Bhutan has been a remote, safe heaven for Buddhist literary heritage. The Bhutanese temple archives are repositories for literary works from the Himalayas which have remained unaccessible. And there is a threat of losing this heritage because the material is in remote temples which might not survive risks like fire and natural calamities. Some temple libraries are already damaged,” said the scholar, who holds a D Phil in Oriental Studies from Oxford.
He captures the texts in stills and converts them to CDs and DVDs.
“In the digital age, we cannot rely on books for long. I capture three or four pages in a still. Most of these books are like secret objects for the local community. It is difficult for scholars and media to access them. But we can now share the digital work with the world,” he explained.
Phuntsho has so far documented 27 temple libraries with over four million digital images. Interestingly, he took up this arduous task in 2003, while he was a research fellow at Cambridge University. During that time Phuntsho was also compiling the history of a religious school in Bhutan (Pema lingpa). To take notes on history of this tradition, he had to do an extensive homework on Bhutan, its rich history.
“I compiled the general information which turned into the book,” confessed Phuntsho, author of The History of Bhutan. The book, published by Random House, tells the story of Bhutan in a narrative style, interspersed with analytical and topical discussions, along with numerous citations and translations from earlier writings. It is a historical account featuring discussions about Bhutan’s geography, culture and society, to give readers an incisive introduction to the country. “Currently there is a gap in the market. No English book gives a comprehensive history of Bhutan that combines a modern historiographical approach with traditional narratives. Most Bhutanese scholars wrote texts in a Bhutanese language — Dzongkha, providing a Buddhist perspective. “Those with modern historiographical methodologies didn’t have access to traditional sources. I was well-placed, had access to them and also exposure to modern historiographics. I could combine the two paths — content from sources I was photographing in libraries and methods from modern historians,” said the author, who finished his full monastic training before going to Oxford University.
Since the history of Bhutan has hardly been explored, Phuntsho divided it into three parts: ancient, medieval and modern. “I have also brought out the intricacies of Bhutan’s politics and history during the late 18th, 19th century and early 20th century. This hasn’t been dealt by anyone so far due to lack of resources,” he claimed.
The book also details India’s relations with Bhutan, which according to author, is currently in its best phase. “There have been tensions earlier, but today, both countries share an impressive social and political rapport. We all know India has influenced Bhutan since the beginning, directly or indirectly,” he said.