A Preliminary Study Of The Gan'en Monastery And Its Mural Paintings

This dissertation is mainly concerned with a Tibetan Buddhist monastery established in 1492-1495,which is located in Hongcheng Town,Yongdeng County, Gansu Province.This monastery was built by the local Mongolian chieftain Lu Lin's donation,and christened with the name Gan'en by Emperor Hongzhi in 1495.At the present time,this monastery is ',n perfect condition in contrast to other monasteries belonging to Chieftain Lu,and consists of a large number of beautifully preserved mural paintings without excessive renovation,a lot of sculptures as well as the precious Tibetan inscription on tablet carved in 1525.Therefore,Gan'en Monastery was established as provincial-level cultural relics protection departments in 1963,and further as national cultural relic protection units in 2008.There is no doubt that these precious cultural relics have an outstanding historical, artistic value with respect to the research of Sino-Tibetan style during 15^th to 16^th in the frontier of Han and Tibet,and then with the study above we also could further discuss the exchange and integration of Tibetan and Han's art in Ming Dynasty.For this reason,therefore,this dissertation try to undertake research projects from four aspects regarding the monastery as follows:1.The Chieftain Lu and their family's history of government and religion on the ground of different historical literature of Ming and Qing Dynasty.2.The detailed and overall description and identification of imagery in Gan'en Monastery historical and archeological means.3.The translation and research on the Tibetan inscription carved in 1525.4.The discussion of related academic problems such as mural painting of Five Realms of Samsara,the design ideology of the Grand Hall's roof painting,and The local character and its influence concerning the shape of the Grand Hall.