Fakes, Delusions, or the Real Thing

The explorer Albert Grünwedel's Tibetan maps of Shambhala are a controversial and contested part of the history of the exploration of the Silk Routes. In the early 1900s Albert Grünwedel collected material related to archaeological sites at Kucha and Turfan including several Tibetan maps of the region, which he published in 1920 in the book Alt-Kutscha. Soon after publication, doubts were raised about the authenticity of the maps, which presented Kucha and Qocho in terms of the mythical realm of Shambhala, and they are still widely considered to be either fabrications or delusions. Judging from internal references to historical figures of the late twelfth century, the maps may derive from sources as early as the thirteenth century, and can be linked to an increasing interest in the Kālacakra tantra and the realm of Shambhala described therein. I conclude that the Alt-Kutscha maps should not be regarded as fakes, nor as historically descriptive maps, but as guides for pilgrims that reimagined these sites in terms of the sacred geography of tantric Buddhism, with particular reference to the mythology of Shambhala

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Buddhism · Geography · Literature · Mythology · Realm · Tantra · Chinese history and philosophy · Classics · History · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Japanese History and Culture

• Manuscripts and Travellers

  Sam Van Schaik, Imre Galambos•Manuscripts and travellers•2011

  Add to list

• The Way to Shambhala, A Search for the Mythical Kingdom beyond the Himalayas

  Ruth‐inge Heinze, Ruth-Inge Heinze et al.•Asian Folklore Studies•1981

  Add to list

• Tibetan Literary Texts and Documents concerning Chinese Turkestan

  James R Ware, F W Thomas•Journal of the American Oriental…•1937

  Add to list