Speaking Stones Rock Art of Ladakh

Featuring over 260 stunning color photographs meticulously curated from Ladakh’s expansive open-air galleries, this book transforms rugged desert land art into the first ever monograph on the subject with some never before seen images. It vividly brings to life a unique art form, offering a virtual tour through challenging-to-access locations and serving as an armchair travel guide to a vast outdoor museum of stone-carved art. This isn’t just another book—it’s a collector’s item with enduring appeal, destined to be a must-have for art and culture enthusiasts, institutions, and libraries alike. With many featured sites worthy of UNESCO World Heritage status and rivalling renowned locations like Bhimbetka, ‘Speaking Stones’ is a testament to our rich history and a window into the captivating world of Ladakh’s rock art.

Binding Hardbound, Language English, Page 209, Colur Photographs 260, Published Date 2024, CONTENTS: Foreword by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Author's Note, Foreword by Martin Vernier, Mysterious Treasures, Map of Ladakh, 01. NUBRA VALLEY: Exploring Nubra, Seeing Through Stones in Nubra, The Silk Roads, From Sasoma to Changlung, The High Camp of Skyamboche, The Stone Temple of Skindisa, Traces of a Dynasty, 02. ZANSKAR: The Land of White Copper, A Mythical Bird, Carnivore Rock Art, In the Footsteps of the Ancients, 03. PURIG, At the Crossroads of Culture, 04. LOWER INDUS: Domkhar Rock Art Sanctuary, Rock Art of the Steppes, Lehdo, Desert Varnish: The Canvas, Dargo, The Brokpa Lands, The Saspol Boulder, Rooted in Place, Alchi Zampa Thang, 05. CHANGTHANG: Leaving One's Mark, Kawathang, Yak Rock Art, The Highlands of Ladakh, The Cold Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, The Frozen Hinterland, A Solitary Cliff, A Celestial Wonderland, Inscriptions and Pictorial Art of Tangtse, The Lure of Gold, The Gyapa Jos of Gya, 06. INDUS VALLEY: Rock Art Bastions near Leh, An Apotropaic Mark, The Rock Castle of Basgo, The Likir Hill Gallery, The Symbolic Art of Sabuthang, Crouching Tiger, Magical Rocks of Power, Spiritual Ford, The Heritage Rock Garden, NOTES: The Chronology of Discoveries at Ladakh, The Classification of Petroglyphs, Style-A Dating and Graphic Element, Bronze Age Petroglyphs, Rock Art of the Steppes, Western Ladakh < Western Tibet Plateau Style, Periodization of Ladakh, Image Index, Bibliography, Acknowledgements, Author's Bio., Martin Vernier Bio. Feedback on 'Speaking Stones'. 209pp