Centre for Historical Studies
School of Social Sciences
organising a lecture on
Triloknath Temple of Lahul
Himalayan Art and Architecture
Gerald Kozicz
Technical University of Graz
Room No: 326, Committee Room, CHS, SSS-III
4th October 2017, 3pm
Abstract: Among the nagara temples of Himachal Pradesh the Temple of Triloknath claims a unique position. The main idol of the main sanctum is being venerated as Avalokiteśvara and - at the same time - as Śiva by the followers of the respective faiths. This tradition goes back to a so far not established point in the history of the sanctum and has been the starting point of all scholarly works about the monument resulting in some contradicting conclusions regards to the possible original religious affiliation of the monument.
In the course of the talk new architectural evidence will be presented which will shed new light on the very early history of the building. The focus of the presentation will be on the portal and its elaborate carvings.In addition to the main portal, the door frame of a smaller shrine behind the main sanctum will be discussed as well. The detailed analysis of the portals of the building will allow for a new hypothesis about the original context and consecration of the temple.
About the Speaker: Professor. Gerald Kozicz is project leader of the Austrian Science Fund Project „Nagara Architecture of Himachal“ based at the Technical University of Graz. He has been in leading position of several projects dealing with Himalayan art and architecture since 2005. He is member of the International Association for Buddhist Studies, the International Association for Tibetan Studies and several other scholarly circles. He has published around 30 articles in the field of Himalayan Studies. He was teaching at the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Graz.