Rendering Houses in Ladakh

Front matter

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RENDERING HOUSES IN LADAKH

Sophie Day

Contents

List of illustrations viii List of tables xi Authorship and acknowledgements xii Spelling xiv 1 Ladakh’s houses 1 2 Ritual houses 24 3 “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change” 43 4 Once the wealthiest tent in Kharnak 61 5 Making a photobook with Deen Khan 83 6 Anempty house? 105 7 Nyarma: The nuns’ house 123 8 Going it alone: Angmo’s Leh house 142 9 The Skarra chorten 158 Glossary of frequently used words 184 References 188

Illustrations

Staking claims to plots granted by the Hill Council or bought from others (2011) Memele’s prayer wheel (1981)

Chapter 4 Jigmed Lhadrol (to the left) and Tsering Yangze, Kharnakling (2009)

The two ‘Tibetan cowboys,’ Markha Valley (1981)

Choldan (1981)

Spangchen (2010)

Sonam Ladon sharing pictures on Sophie Day’s phone, Spangchen (2010)

Looking over Phuntsog Anchuk’s photobook with his family (2011)

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Illustrations

Meme Anjur, Dad (1981) on the cover of a 2012 photobook Sonam Ladon and Phuntsog Anchuk holding a picture of his father (2015) Choldan, edited from the 1981 photograph (2019) Photograph of Sophie Day (1982) at the consecration of a chorten (2012) Jigmed Lhadrol in her kitchen (2015) Lundup Tsering and his grandson Jigmed Dorje (2010), and on the shop wall (2019)

Chapter 5 Deen’s Khan Manzil from above (2011)

Deen’s mother in her kitchen (1970s)

Replica dumpling (momo) pot (2013)

Deen models a hat he wore to mosque (2013, 2017 photobook)

Deen holding cups his grandfather used (2013, 2017 photobook)

Deen with his model of the upper serai (2013)

Deen with family documents, 1934-1944 (2015)

Detail: an invoice from Calcutta for Deen’s father’s polo balls and shoe polish (2015)

Deen modelling Hor or Yarkandi hats (2013, 2017 photobook)

Central Asian Museum, Leh (2017)

Deen identifying local people wearing his family signet ring, with 2011 photobook (2017)

Chapter 7 Tashi Chenzom and Tashi Dolma, Nyarma nunnery (2011)

Thikse monastery (2011)

Nyarma nunnery (2011)

Chamba, the only young nun at Nyarma for many years (2015)

The youngest Zanskarma, Nyarma (2015)

Elderly and young nuns during annual prayers (smonlam), Leh (2013)

Chapter 8

Sonam Norten and Skarma Yanzom, two ‘single’ (non-married) friends, Leh bazaar (2019)

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