Education in the monastic centers of Western Himalaya AD 950 to1700

Abstract

The present study revolves around monastic centers of western Himalaya (Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti, Ladakh) established between c.900-1700 AD. Our main focus is to study and explore the functions of monasteries in the western Himalayan region with special reference to the education imparted by them. The area is yet unexplored from this viewpoint. The reason for choosing the region of this study is as several monasteries are still surviving and serving as educational centers in the western Himalaya. These monastic centers helped Buddhism to survive in the region for imparting education and performing rituals. The impact of modern educational policies of the government of India and state governments on these centers has been evaluated by us. The study shows that there is an immediate need of Government s intervention to save these for posterity. We have evaluated the role of monastic staff in the sustenance of these centers. It is imperative to preserve these monasteries as they testify to the powerful cultural links which existed between the Buddhist centers of India and abroad. newline