Religious & Geographic Surveys


Greater Tibet

  • Martin, Dan. Tibetan Histories: A Bibliography of Tibetan-Language Historical Works. London: Serindia Publications, 1997.
    Annotated bibliography of historical works.
  • Sde srid sangs rgyas rgya mtsho. Dga’ ldan chos ‘byung beedurya ser po. rdo rje rgyal po, ed. Krung go’i bod kyi shes rigs dpe skrun khang, 1989.
    Survey of Geluk monasteries written in 1698.
  • Sum pa mkhen po. ‘Dzam gling spyi bshad. Lhasa: Bod rang skyong ljongs spyi tshogs tshan rig khang. 1986.
    Earliest world geography in Tibetan [1777], written by a Mongol.
  • Btsan po bstan ‘dzin ‘phrin las. ‘Dzam gling rgyas bshad. Lhasa: Bod rang skyong ljongs spyi tshogs tshan rig khang, 1986.
    Tibet section translated in following publication:
  • Wylie, Turrell V. The Geography of Tibet according to the 'Dzam gling rgyas bshad. Edited by Giuseppe Tucci, Serie Orientale Roma. Roma: Instituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, 1962.
    Transliterated Tibetan text along with an annotated and indexed (including Chinese characters) translation of a Tibetan geography written in the first decades of the nineteenth century.
  • Ferrari, Alfonsa. Mk'yen Brtse's Guide to the Holy Places of Central Tibet. Edited by Luciano Petech. Vol. XVI, Serie Orientale Roma. Roma: Instituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, 1958.
    Annotated and indexed translation of a Tibetan geography written in 1892. New version in press, with contemporary notes.
  • Skal bzang chos kyi rgyal, Shing bza'. Bod Sog chos 'byung. vol. 18 of Krung go Bod brgyud Mtho rim Nang bstan Slob gling. Gangs can rig brgya'i sgo 'byed lde mig. Chinese colophon title: Zang wen wen xuan. Pe cin: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1992.
    See Dan Martin, Tibetan Histories #595. Especially strong for Eastern Tibet, as this monk is from Rwa rgya, on the Rma chu near Mgo log. Major Central Tibetan monasteries covered (761-812), Lower Mdo khams covered (812-830); also deals how the teachings spread in Sog yul & the Hor chos rgyal rgyal rabs (867-899), and how the teachings spread in Hor yul (899-1032).
  • Chinese local place name concordances giving Chinese and Tibetan equivalents, printed and distributed for "internal use (neibu)" only, but circulating abroad as well. TBRC has some, Gray Tuttle has some. Titles are: {Place-name, e.g. Ganzi} di ming lu.
  • Karmay, Samten G. and Nagano, Yasuhiko. 2003. A Survey of Bonpo Monasteries and Temples in Tibet and the Himalaya. Bon Studies 7. Senri Ethnological Reports 38. Osaka: National Museum of Ethnology. (includes Kham and Amdo).
  • Paltrul Jampal Lodoe. Bod na bzhugs pa'i rnying ma'i dgon deb = Record of Nyingma monasteries in Tibet. Dalhousie : Paltul Jampal Lodoe, [1965].
  • Gyurme Dorje. Footprint: Tibet. 3rd Edition. Bath, UK: Footprint. 2004.
    The only guidebook to cover all of Tibet (including Amdo).
  • Collections of Tibetan gazetteers in Chinese: 中国西藏及甘青川滇藏区方志汇编, 54 vols; and Xizang jiu fang zhi, 30 vols.
    The C.V. Starr East Asian Library holds the latter.  See Local History Resources for more details.

Eastern Tibet

Amdo

  • Andreas Gruschke. The cultural monuments of Tibet’s outer provinces: Amdo. Vol. 2: The Qinghai  Part of Amdo. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus Press. 2001.
    Based on Chinese sources and extensive fieldwork and travel in these regions.
  • Andreas Gruschke. The cultural monuments of Tibet’s outer provinces: Amdo. Vol. 2: The Gansu and Sichuan Parts of Amdo. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus Press. 2001.
  • Rock, Joseph F. The Amnye Ma-Chhen Range and Adjacent Regions. Edited by Giuseppe Tucci. Vol. XII, Serie Orientale Roma. Roma: Instituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, 1956.
    Monograph on the Tibetan regions southern Amdo (Qinghai).
  • Pu Wencheng. Gan-Qing Zangchuan Fojiao siyuan. Xining: Qinghai Minzu Chubanshe, 1990.
    Survey of Gansu and Qinghai monasteries, from 1950s & 1980s surveys.
  • Nian Zhihai and Bai Gengdeng, eds. Qinghai Zangchuan Fojiao siyuan ming jian (The Clear Mirror of Tibetan Buddhist Temples of Qinghai). Lanzhou: Gansu minzu chubanshe, 1993.
    Survey of Qinghai monasteries, from 1950s & 1980s surveys.
  • Zhongguo renmin zhengzhixie shanghuiyi Gannan Zangzu zizhizhou weiyuanhui wenshi ziliao weiyuanhui. Kan lho'i Bod brgyud Nang bstan sde so so'i lo rgyus mdor bsdus/ Gannan Zangzhuan Fojiao siyuan gaikuang. 3 vols. Kan lho'i lo rgyus Gannan wenshi ziliao, vol. 9, 10, 12. 1991-1995. Gannan baoshe yinshuachang.
    Chinese text with proper names given in Tibetan script, covers southern Gansu monasteries.
  • Zhongguo renmin zhengzhixie shanghuiyi Tianzhu Zangzu zizhizhou weiyuanhui wenshi ziliao weiyuanhui. Dpa' ris kyi Bod brgyud Nang bstan sde lo rgyus mdor bsdus/ Tianzhu Zangzhuan Fojiao siyuan gaikuang. Tianzhu Zangzu zizhixian minzu yinzhuachang. 2000.
    Chinese text with proper names given in Tibetan script, covers the northern Gansu Tibetan county of Dpa' ris monasteries.
  • Dbyang Hphu-hwa; Dbang stobs, Nor-sde. Mgo-log rig gnas lo rgyus. 3 vols. Qinghai : Srid gros Mgo log khul u rig-gnas lo rgyus rgyu cha zhib 'jug u yon lhan khang, 1991-1999
  • 'Brug thar & Sangs rgyas tshe ring. Mdo smad rma khug tsha 'gram yul gru'i lo rgyus deb ther chen mo. Pe cin: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2005.
  • Jo nang mdza' mthun lo rgyus phyogs bsgrig tshogs, ed. Jo nang ba'i gdan rabs mdor bsdus drang srong rgan po'i zhal lung/ Juenang si yuan jian jie. Pe cin: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2005.
    Short intro to Jonang monasteries in Utsang, but focus on monasteries in Mdo smad (39-146) & Mgo log (147-192); concluding section on monasteries in China, Mongolia, America.

Khams

This section offer surveys of larger areas in Khams. For additional titles, see the Ph.D. dissertation of Karl Debreczeny. Also see Local Histories.

  • Andreas Gruschke. The cultural monuments of Tibet’s outer provinces: Kham. 2 vols. Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus Press. 2004.
  • Bstan pa rgyal mtshan. Rgyal thang yul lung dgon gnas dang bcas pa’i byung ba mdo tsam brjod pa blo gsal mgul pa mdzes paʼi rgyan = A History of the Rgyal-thaṅ Dgon-pa Monastic Complex and its Environs. Dharamsala, H.P., India: Rgyal thaṅ Bya ʼthab, Ṅag dbaṅ Thabs mkhas, 1985. Details about Ganden Sumtseling prior to its destruction. Thanks to Eric Mortensen for this reference.
  • Zhongguo Zang xue yan jiu zhong xin. Khams phyogs Dkar mdzes khul gyi dgon sde so so'i lo rgyus gsal bar bsad pa nan bstan gsal ba'i me long. 3 vols.[Lha sa : Krung go'i Bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang] 1995.
    History of Buddhist monasteries in Dkar mdzes/Ganzi prefecture in eastern Tibet.
  • Nang chen rdzong srid gros rig gnas lo rgyus gzhung don khang. Khams sgom sde nang chen pa'i dgon khag rnams kyi byung ba phyogs bsgrigs rin chen sgrom brgya 'byed pa'i deb ther gser gyi lde mig. [Skye rgu mdo?] 1999.
    Historical survey of monasteries in Nang chen rdzong of Yus hru'u (Yul shul, Yushu) prefecture, Qinghai province. Held and outlined at TBRC.

Central Tibet & Mnga' ris

This section offer surveys of larger areas in Central and Western Tibet. For Mnga' ris, see the Roberto Vitali's bibliography.  For the few local histories that are published, see Local Histories.

  • Wu, Zhenhua, ed. Xizang di ming. Beijing: Zhongguo zangxue chubanshe, 1995.
    Chinese names of the Tibetan Autonmous Region (TAR) places arranged according to the English alphabet. Tibetan, pinyin, and some details of the place are given for each entry (i.e. whether the place is a mountain, village, temple, etc.)

CLIO LINK: http://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/3853824

  • Chos 'phel, etc. 2002- Gangs can ljongs kyi gnas bshad lam yig gsar ma. [New Guide to Temples in the Land of Snows]. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang. 

v.1: Lho-kha sa khul kyi gnas yig; v.2: Lha sa sa khul kyi gnas yig; v.3: Gzhis-rtse sa khul gyi gnas yig; v.4: Mngaʼ-ris khul gyis gnas yig

CLIO LINK:  http://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/5338918

  • Mkhas grub. 2005. Lho kha'i chos 'byung skyes ma'i nu rin. Pe-cin: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang.
    Short religious history, list of Tibetan "firsts" in Lho kha history (first king of Tibet, first castle, etc.), lists places, monasteries, and people of importance.

            CLIO LINK: http://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/6191152

  • Spen-pa-tshe-riṅ. Ngam-ring rdzong gi dgon sdeʼi lo rgyus dang da ltaʼi gnas babs. Lha-sa : Bod-ljongs Bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang. 2013. Brief histories of 22 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Ngamring County (Ngam-ring; Ch. Angren), located in the Shigatse District of what is now the Tibet Autonomous Region; also includes biographies of 11 historical figures from the area. 

CLIO LINK: http://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/10800348

 

Inner Mongolian Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries

  • Isabelle Charleux. Temples et monastères de Mongolie-intérieure. Paris : Éditions du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques : Institut national d’histoire de l’art, 2006.
    List of 157 major monasteries, CD of plans, photos, etc. of some 150 of these.