Tshering Dorje

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Tshering Dorje
Tshering Dorje.jpg
BornApril 1936
Guskiar village, Lahaul tehsil, Kullu Sub-division, Kangra district, Punjab Province, British India
Died13 November 2020 (aged 86)
Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
NationalityIndian
EducationTholing monastery, Western Tibet
Sa-ngag-choling monastery, Central Tibet
OccupationCultural historian
Known forExpertise on the cultural history of the Buddhist regions of the Western Himalayas
Role in the construction of the Atal Tunnel

Tshering Dorje (April 1936 - November 13, 2020; also spelled Tsering Dorje and Chhering Dorje) was a cultural historian from Himachal Pradesh, India. He was regarded as an authority on the cultural traditions and histories of the Lahaul and Spiti district and some neighboring regions. He also played an important role in bringing about the construction of the 9.02 km-long, high-altitude Atal Tunnel.

Contents

Life and career

Dorje was born in village Guskiar of Gahar valley, Lahaul, Kullu tehsil, Kangra district, Punjab Province, British India - later a part of the Lahaul and Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh state. His family was Tibetan Buddhist and practiced agropastoralism. He received his schooling in Urdu medium at Keylong. Then, following family tradition, Dorje went to Tibet to train as a Lama. He first studied Tibetan language and Mahamudra at the Tholing monastery in western Tibet, and then went to the Sa-ngag-choling monastery in central Tibet to receive Kagyu teachings. However, he had to leave his education unfinished and return to Lahaul following political unrest in Tibet due to Tibet's annexation by the People's Republic of China. Following the creation of the Lahaul and Spiti district in 1960, Dorje got a job at the office of the Deputy Collector of the district at Keylong as a teacher of 'Bhoti' (Tibetan). In his youth, he had a meeting with the Russian Tibetologist George Roerich, which was influential in shaping his scientific and creative pursuits. After many years, Dorje was promoted to the position of Public Relations officer of the district. Following retirement, he divided his time between his native village Guskiar and Kullu. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Dorje died of covid-19 on November 13, 2022, at Nerchowk Medical College, Mandi. [5]

Influence

Research and scholarship

Despite his limited formal education, Dorje came to be known for his extensive knowledge of western and Trans-Himalayan regions including Ladakh, Lahaul, Spiti, and Kinnaur. [6] In Lahaul and Spiti district and neighboring regions, he was widely referred to as an 'encyclopedia of the Himalayas'. [6] [2] [7] [8] [5] He was regarded as an expert on Tibetan language; Tibetan Buddhist scriptures; the Buddhist, Bon, and Hindu cultural traditions of the Lahaul and Spiti district; the Buddhist and pre-Buddhist history of Tibet, and the historical and cultural interrelations between the western Himalayas, Tibet, and Central Asia. Dorje also did some research on the Zhang Zhung language. [6] [2] [3] [9] He undertook numerous journeys on foot in the Himalayas. [10] [11]

Dorje was closely associated with the International Roerich Memorial Trust in Naggar for several decades. 1980 onwards, he collaborated with the Russian Indologist and Roerich scholar Ludmila Shaposhnikova over various research interests. In 2006, Dorje founded the Roerich Society of Lahaul. By 2017, he was instrumental in reconstructing the summer study of the famous Russian Orientalist, philosopher, painter, and explorer Nicholas Roerich in Kyelong (originally built in 1930-32 and destroyed by a snowstorm in 2012). [2] [12]

Dorje wrote a number of articles in Hindi and Tibetan. [2] [6] Over the years, he guided numerous researchers doing research in the Kullu and the Lahaul and Spiti districts. [2] [6] This list includes, among others, the Tibetologists John Vincent Bellezza and Tashi Tsering, [13] [14] [15] and the anthropologist Himika Bhattacharya. [16] He spoke at many scholarly and literary seminars and at other cultural events in Kullu. [17] [18] [19] [20] He was also occasionally sought by the media for comments over current developments in the Kullu valley. [21] [22]

In 2012, Dorje served as the Vice-President of the Bharatiya Itihaas Sankalan Samiti in Himachal Pradesh. [23]

In 2018, Dorje was appointed to the General Council of the Himachal Pradesh Academy as the representative for the Lahaul and Spiti district. [24]

Role in Atal Tunnel construction

Over 1999-2000, alongside fellow Lahauli Tashi Dawa (aka 'Gopal Arjun'), Tshering Dorje played a key role in floating the idea of constructing a tunnel below the Rohtang Pass to then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This would enable round-the-year road access to the Lahaul valley, which otherwise got cut-off from road access for up to six months every year due to the closure of the Rohtang Pass by snows. Dawa and Dorje were part of a delegation of four from Himachal that met PM Vajpayee several times over two years to push their proposal to get a tunnel made under the pass. This eventually culminated in the construction of the Atal Tunnel, which opened in October 2020. [25] [22] [26] [27]

Others

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

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Kullu is a district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It borders Shimla district to the south, Mandi and Kangra districts to the west, Kinnaur to the east and the Lahaul and Spiti district to the north and east. The largest valley in this mountainous district is the Kullu Valley. The Kullu valley follows the course of the Beas River, and ranges from an elevation of 833 m above sea level at Aut to 3330 m above sea level at the Atal Tunnel South Portal, below the Rohtang Pass. The town of Kullu, located on the right side of the Beas River, serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district. The Kullu district also incorporates several riverine tributary valleys of the Beas, including those of the Parvati, Sainj, and Tirthan rivers, and thus some regions somewhat distant from the Kullu valley. The economy of the district relies mainly on horticulture, agriculture, tourism, and traditional handicrafts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohtang Pass</span> Mountain pass

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lahaul and Spiti district</span> A district in Himachal Pradesh, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyelang</span> Town in Himachal Pradesh, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pir Panjal Range</span> Mountain range of the Lower Himalayas

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "To the Blessed Memory of Tsering Dorje…". irmtkullu.com. November 13, 2020. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
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  4. ↑ Odenheimer, Micha (October 28, 2004). "Unknown Faces of Tibet". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  5. 1 2 Thakur, Arvind (November 13, 2020). "एनसाइक्लोपीडिया ऑफ हिमालय के नाम से विख्यात छेरिंग दोरजे का निधन". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Thakur, Kesang (December 3, 2020). "Tshering Dorje – FILMING लाहुल" . Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  7. 1 2 Palmo, Tenzin (Summer 2021). "Tshering Dorje - In Memoriam" (PDF). Gatsal. 38: 11.
  8. ↑ Sharma, Rajesh (November 30, 2020). "Cherring Dorje: चेतना की नदी छेरिंग दोर्जे, कुल्लू या लाहुल ही नहीं, संपूर्ण हिमालय से सम्मान पाने वाले शख्‍स थे दोर्जे". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-01-09.
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  10. ↑ "Tsering Dorje death anniversary एनसाइक्लोपीडिया ऑफ हिमालय की पुण्यतिथि पर ढालपुर में कार्यक्रम आयोजित". ETV Bharat News (in Hindi). November 20, 2021. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
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  13. ↑ Belleza, John Vincent (2008). "Supplementary Journal 1990". tibetarcheology.com. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  14. ↑ Tsering, Tashi (2013). "On the Unknown History of a Himalayan Buddhist Enclave: Spiti Valley before the 10th Century". Current Issues and Progress in Tibetan Studies. 51.
  15. ↑ Tsering, Tashi (June 2012). "A historical overview of education and social change in Spiti Valley in India". Ladakh Studies. 28: 10.
  16. ↑ Bhattacharya, Himika (2017). Narrating Love and Violence: Women Contesting Caste, Tribe, and State in Lahaul, India. Rutgers University Press. ISBN   978-0-8135-8955-8.
  17. ↑ Sharma, Ambika (September 7, 2012). "CM says HP to be carbon-neutral". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  18. ↑ "Kavi sammelan on Birshu mela". Tribuneindia News Service. March 30, 2015. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
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  20. ↑ "Russia-India: the Art, Philosophy and Culture". irmtkullu.com. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  21. ↑ "Treasure of gold coins". www.tribuneindia.com. November 21, 2012. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  22. 1 2 Bodh, Anand (August 17, 2018). "'Rohtang tunnel Atal Bihari Vajpayee's biggest gift to state' | Shimla News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  23. ↑ "CM Stresses for the need to preserve Environment". The News Himachal. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
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  25. ↑ Atal Tunnel, Rohtang (PDF). New Delhi: Border Roads Organisation. 2021. p. 19.
  26. ↑ Bharti, Tulsi (November 13, 2020). "अटल टनल निर्माण में अहम भूमिका निभाने वाले प्रसिद्ध साहित्यकार छेरिंग दोरजे की कोरोना से मौत". News18 हिंदी (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  27. ↑ Pokhriyal, Sanjay (October 1, 2020). "Atal Tunnel Rohtang: रोहतांग सुरंग की नींव में छेरिंग दोरजे के लिखे यह शब्द". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  28. ↑ Gill, Manohar Singh (2010). Himalayan Wonderland: Travels in Lahaul and Spiti. Penguin Books India. pp. xx. ISBN   978-0-670-08413-5.
  29. ↑ "negative (polymer film) (black and white) | British Museum". The British Museum. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  30. ↑ Tricycle; Tricycle (2011-09-13). "Tibetan monks found chanting text by Oxford philosopher". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  31. ↑ Kunzom, Vol. 1 (2005). Tobdan. Society for Conservation and Promotion of Culture in Lahaul & Spiti. 2005.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  32. ↑ "Roerich in Lahoul (Lahul)". Roerich In Lahul. 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
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