Created 5-Sep-06
Modified 5-Sep-06
Visitors 219
34 photos
Ganden, a monastic city about a days trip from Lhasa, was the largest religious community and center of learning in traditional Tibet. It housed over 5000 monks at one point. Things changed after 1949, and decidedly so in 1956, when Ganden was attacked and destroyed by Chinese PLA troops. It never recovered its formet status.
It wasn't easy to get to Ganden in May 1986, we had to take a small water craft going downstream a totally unregulated river, disembark in the middle of nowhere, then continue on foot up the mountain (altitude well over 4000 m). The landscape was nothing short of breathtaking. So were the dimensions of the destruction, which was still eminent after 30 years.
These pictures were taken with Nikon F3 and Leica equipment. Film used was Ektachrome, but mostly Kodachrome. Some of these photographs were published in a German magazine in 1987 or 1988.
Scanned and uploaded September 5, 2006.
Thomas H. Hahn, Ithaca, NY.
It wasn't easy to get to Ganden in May 1986, we had to take a small water craft going downstream a totally unregulated river, disembark in the middle of nowhere, then continue on foot up the mountain (altitude well over 4000 m). The landscape was nothing short of breathtaking. So were the dimensions of the destruction, which was still eminent after 30 years.
These pictures were taken with Nikon F3 and Leica equipment. Film used was Ektachrome, but mostly Kodachrome. Some of these photographs were published in a German magazine in 1987 or 1988.
Scanned and uploaded September 5, 2006.
Thomas H. Hahn, Ithaca, NY.
© Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images
