Ritual Space

Wider research context / theoretical framework

In regions where Tibetan Buddhism is prevalent, the use of mandalic layouts is a design principle that can be found in many contexts: from settlement structures to the arrangement of building structures and artefacts of daily life. Circumambulation routes are related to a social and spatial order and find their physical expression in these mandalic structures. This project, Spatial concepts in the Western Himalayas (“SCWH”) looks at architecture as part of an entity of environmental and social characteristics which is broadly defined by Tibetan Buddhism.

Level of originality / innovation

The proposed project will break new ground by conduction a comprehensive study on ritual topography in the Western Himalayas, covering the interaction between natural environment, ritual activities and connected markers for defining a ritual space. It will provide fresh insights into the interconnectivity of historical and contemporary ritual use of space, and study the principles and dynamics that shape ritual space.

Hypotheses / research questions / objectives

A hypothesis of this project is that the mandalic layout which can be found in various dimensions in objects used in daily life, in religious buildings as well as farmhouses, in settlement structures, and even at places of transhumance are connected to a ritual use of space on various scales. This ritual use determines a common understanding of the use of natural environment and is a central aspect in practices for defining village layouts. The hypothesis puts forward that contemporary social activities play a crucial role in contextualising existing markers within the ritual space, and that these markers overlap in the organisation of whole settlements.

Based on this hypothesis, research questions are:

• How is village space in its materiality, layout and design connected to the use of the local community?
  

• How do circumambulation practices determine a three-dimensional understanding of an entity of objects, architecture and landscape?
  

Approach / methods

The project approach is to view spatial use as a result of ritual practices which are deeply embedded in the local community and which are produced by a complex synergy between local and external influences. The study will be based on literature, architectural and ethnographic research. The research will be conducted at selected Western Himalayan settlements whose origin can be traced to some of the earliest West Tibetan Buddhist structural remains dating from the late 10th and 11th century, and it will focus on the relationship between the settlements and spatial and ritual patterns that still exist today. The project will be based at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.