Stupas, Lhathos, Tsatsakhangs
A Preliminary Report on the Cultural Topography of Hunder
Abstract
The Nubra Valley is one of the ancient corridors used by traders, armies and pilgrims that connected Northeast India, Central Asia and the Western Himalayas. The fortified settlement of Hunder was probably the most important regional checkpost along this line from the very early times of human occupation. Placed on a ridge above a gorge and protected by a perfect topographic setting, Hunder could hold its position for centuries. And like a cultural barrier riff, all the cultural currents left their marks all over the topographic relief in the form of the various types of material culture and religious architecture such as tombs, stupas, lhathos and burial shrines. The following article attempts to provide an overview of all the various relics in order to provide some insight into the chronology of the cultural history of this place which served as an outpost for western Tibetan culture for so long.
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