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Cultural Survival and Revivalin the Buddhist Sangha

Documentation, Education and Training toRevitalize Traditional Decorative Arts and Building Crafts

in the Buddhist Temples of Asia

September 2006

Phase II Third Project Progress ReportJuly 2005 - June 2006

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...living traditions ofBuddhism in the region are

a vibrant, integral part ofthe local identity and

cultural resources. At thesame time, they are underthreat from developmentpressures; shifting socio-

cultural tastes whichprivilege modern ways; and

discontinuities intransmission of traditions

and skills...

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Contents

Fact sheet 5

Executive Summary of Report 6

1. Background 7

2. Activities Undertaken 9

2.1 Project implementation at sites 82.1.1 Bhutan 82.1.2 Cambodia 82.1.3 Cambodia (Phnom Penh) 102.1.4 Cambodia (Siem Riep) 102.1.5 China (Sichuan) 122.1.6 China (Yunnan) 132.1.7 India (Arunachal Pradesh) 152.1.8 India (Ladakh) 162.1.9 India (Sikkim) 172.1.10 India (Sikkim - Replication) 192.1.11 Lao PDR (General) 202.1.12 Lao PDR (Bokeo) 212.1.13 Lao PDR (Champassak) 222.1.14 Lao PDR (Luang Prabang) 232.1.15 Lao PDR (Savannakhet) 252.1.16 Mongolia 262.1.17 Nepal (Lalitpur) 282.1.18 Nepal (Mustang) 302.1.19 Sri Lanka (Kandy) 312.1.20 Thailand (General) 312.1.21 Thailand (Nakhon Si Thammarat) 322.1.22 Thailand (Nan) 33

2.2 Project monitoring 362.2.1 Monitoring by UNESCO 362.2.2 Monitoring by national mentors 36

2.3 Sub-regional networking 402.3.1 Theravada Caucus (Nan, Thailand) December 2006 402.3.2 Joint implementation activities planned 38

2.4 Developing synergies with external initiatives 412.4.1 Sustainable Tourism Development 42 in Living Buddhism Areas

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Annexes

Annex A

Theravada Caucus, Nan, Thailand, December 2005 - Agenda

Annex B

Theravada Caucus, Nan, Thailand, December 2005 - List ofParticipants

Annex C

Theravada Caucus, Nan, Thailand, December 2005 - Report

Annex D

South Asia Training of Trainers Workshop for Culture HeritageSpecialist Guides (Focusing on Living Buddhism)Paro, Bhutan, May 2006 – Executive summary

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FFFFFact sheetact sheetact sheetact sheetact sheet

.Project TitleCultural Survival and Revival in the Buddhist Sangha:Documentation, Education and Training to RevitalizeTraditional Decorative Arts and Building Crafts in the BuddhistTemples of Asia

Executing AgencyUNESCO Bangkok

Cooperation PartnerNordic World Heritage Foundation

Funding SourceGovernment of NorwayLocal/national counterpart agencies/organizations

Project Duration (Phase II)4 Years (2004-2007)

Project Implementation Sites (18 total)Bhutan Thimphu (proposed Tentative List site)Cambodia Phnom Penh, Siem RiepChina Sichuan, XishuangbannaIndia Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, SikkimLao PDR Bokeo, Champasak (World Heritage site),Luang Prabang (World Heritage site), SavanakhetMongolia Kharakhorin (World Heritage site)Nepal Lalitpur, MustangSri Lanka Kandy (World Heritage site)Thailand Nan (Tentative List site), Nakhon Si Thammarat

National Implementing AgenciesNational/Provincial/Local government bodiesNational/provincial/local Buddhist sangha

KeywordsHeritage conservation; revitalization of traditional knowledge,skills and practices; technical, vocational training; sustainablelivelihood opportunities; replication of best practice

SectorCulture, tangible and intangible

Budget (including 13% overheadYear 1: US$ 420,455Year 2: US$ 699,785Year 3-4: US$ 613,857TOTAL: US$ 1,734,097

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Executive SummaryThe regional expansion of Phase II of the UNESCO“Cultural Survival and Revival in the Buddhist Sangha:Documentation, Education and Training to RevitalizeTraditional Decorative Arts and Building Crafts in theBuddhist Temples of Asia” was launched in January2005. The Strategy Development Workshop wasconducted in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR in May 2005.Project activities on-site commenced after theworkshop, with the earliest starting in late 2005. Sitepreparatory activities included the formation of localorganizing committees and supervisory committees,the drafting of curricula and the identification ofteachers and the preparation of training materials.

Currently, fourteen sites have commenced on-sitedocumentation and training activities, namely PhnomPenh and Siem Riep (Cambodia), Sichuan andXishuangbanna (China), Bokeo, Champasak andLuang Prabang (Lao PDR); Ladakh and Sikkim,(India); Kharakhorin (Mongolia); Lalitpur and Mustang(Nepal); Nan and Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thailand).

Awareness-raising and institutional capacity buildingactivities are still underway at another four sites,namely Thimphu (Bhutan), Arunachal Pradesh(India), Savannakhet (Lao PDR), and Kandy (SriLanka). This will lay the groundwork fordocumentation and training activities.

Due to the differing starting times for each site,reflecting varying levels of institutional capacity andpreparedness, the progress of each site ranges. Themajority of sites was implementing or had completedtheir second cycle of project implementation. Earlystarters like Mongolia were already in their third cycleof implementation by mid-2006. In accordance withthe project design, the cycles have focused on thefollowing activities.

First-cycle activities have focused on:• Network building• Documentation of crafts traditions• Identification and prioritization of training

topics• Identification of trainers• Development of curricula• Preparation of training materials• Launch on-site pilot training in selected

high-priority topics

Second-cycle activities have focused on:• Launch training activities for high-priority

topics using training methodologiestested in cycle 1

• Continue with documentation of craftstraditions

• Continue with the production anddissemination of training materials

As the project moves into the final 18 months ofimplementation, it is expected that that sites shouldall achieve a level of sustainability by the end of thefourth cycle:

Third-cycle activities will focus on:• Expansion of training through additional

platforms and curricula• Continue with documentation of crafts

traditions• Continue with the production and

dissemination of training materials• Development of curriculum for lower-

priority topics

Fourth-cycle activities will focus on:• Consolidation of training platforms and

curricula for long-term replication• Production and dissemination of final

training materials for use in futuretraining

• Production of final documentationoutputs for use in future training orresearch activities

In terms of sub-regional networking and mentoringactivities, the second sub-regional caucus was heldin Nan, Thailand in December 2005, with theparticipation of all Theravada sites. A third sub-regional caucus for the Vajrayana sites was plannedfor Ladakh, India in July 2006, which wasunfortunately cancelled to political instability.

Regarding partnerships with external initiatives,UNESCO and the Asian Development Bank (ADB)have cooperated in the development of LivingBuddhism sites within the context of sustainabletourism. In particular, a training programme forcultural heritage specialist guides has been launchedwith a focus on Living Buddhism sites. Thisprogramme provides a channel for the broaderdissemination of educational material developedthrough the Cultural Survival and Revival project toother local concerned stakeholders who have animpact on the safeguarding of the temples and otherBuddhist heritage.

The first training of trainers workshop for the SouthAsian countries was held in Paro, Bhutan in May2006 and a second workshop is being planned forthe Greater Mekong Sub-region countries in LuangPrabang, Lao PDR in October 2006. Both workshopsare being undertaken with co-financing support fromthe ADB.

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I. Background

The ‘Cultural Survival and Revival in the BuddhistSangha: Documentation, Education and Training toRevitalize Traditional Decorative Arts and BuildingCrafts in the Temples of Asia’ project was initiatedby UNESCO in 2000 with primary support from theGovernment of Norway, and supplementary fundingfrom the Government of New Zealand. It aims tobuild local capacity in the conservation of intangibleheritage via revitalization of traditional artisan skillsamong local caretakers of heritage, in particularamongst religious communities such as theBuddhist sangha.1 The project was developed inresponse to requests from Buddhist communitiesfor assistance in maintaining religious culturalheritage, which is the main repository of local culturalheritage. The project targets reviving traditionaldecorative arts and building crafts as well asdeveloping preventative conservation skills.

Phase I (2000-3) was implemented in LuangPrabang, Lao PDR, in collaboration with the LuangPrabang Department of Information and Culture andthe Laotian Buddhist sangha. Through theestablishment of the “Training Centre for LaotianTraditional Temple Arts and Building Crafts”, theproject has succeeded in documenting andrevitalizing a number of traditional decorative arts andbuilding crafts.

Phase II (2004-7) will ensure the ongoingimplementation of the project in the Phase I pilotsite of Luang Prabang, and a regional expansion

1 Sangha is the term denoting the community ofBuddhist monks who live and study in temples andare supported by lay-followers among the community.

throughout the Theravada and Vajrayana (Tibetan-tradition) Buddhist countries in Asia.

The inclusion of sites throughout Theravada andVajrayana Buddhist areas will maximize the regionalimpact of the project. Through appropriate adaptationof the pilot project methodology, local representativeswill implement projects that will aim to preserve ofthe intangible culture heritage of their sites.

Phase II adopts a cluster approach toimplementation, which allows for intra-regional andregional cross-mentoring through networking andpartnership building. This strategy is expected tobuild in sustainability of results in the long-run, withthe mobilization of national and regional partnersbrought into the planning, implementation and on-going monitoring of these sites.

Phase III (2008+) will mainstream project activitiesimplemented in Phase II in the Theravada andVajrayana regions into provincial and national policiesof both governments and Buddhist sanghas and willstrengthen the regional network of sanghas in orderto ensure ongoing cross-mentoring and long termsustainability.

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II. ActivitiesUndertaken

2.1 Project implementation at sites

2.1.1 Bhutan

Local focal point:• Institute of Language and Culture Studies

(ILCS) of the Royal University of Bhutan

Local organizing committee:• Under revision

National supervisory committee:• Under revision

Project overview and objectives

For Bhutan, the initial plan was to document therestoration works being done at the Semtokha Dzong(monastery) and carried out by the Ministry of Culture,and to conduct simultaneous training programmesfor monks and lay persons on wood-working andrammed earth restoration taking place at the dzong.However, the Ministry official administering therestoration of Semtokha Dzong has a differentintention of using UNESCO’s contribution topurchase computer and video equipment that wouldbe used for the Ministry’s documentation needs, andnot for the monks of Semtokha Dzong.

As such, a different strategy had to be adopted forproject implementation in Bhutan. During the SASECTraining of Trainers for Heritage Guides Workshopheld in Paro, Bhutan in May 2006, representativesfrom the Institute of Language and Culture Studies(ILCS) of the Royal University of Bhutan, which hasa Buddhist monk, Rev. Lungtaen Gyatso as itsDirector, expressed interest to collaborate inimplementing project activities in Bhutan. Having theexpertise, experience and technical resources, ILCScould assist the monks of Semtokha Dzong inundertaking the necessary research anddocumentation of crafts/rituals and implement trainingprograms for the monks. Another area of possiblecollaboration is for ILCS staff to train local projectteams in Sikkim in the video documentation of theirBuddhist crafts/practices. Another possibility is totie up future project activities with an initiative of theUNESCO New Delhi Office being implemented byILCS on cultural mapping in Bhutan, a pilot case forLocal Agenda 21 for Culture which aims to promotelocal development by harnessing the culturalresources and creativity of the indigenous peoples.

A plan of action for implementing Monks Projectactivities in Bhutan will be worked out with ILCS andUNESCO New Delhi Office during the third quarterof 2006.

2.1.2 Cambodia (General)

Local focal point:• Mr. Prom Chak, National Project Coordinator,

UNESCO Phnom Penh

National supervisory committee:• H.E. Son Soubert, Member of the

Constitutional Council of the Kingdom ofCambodia, Constitutional Council of theKingdom Cambodia (Chairman)

• H.E. Hing Kim Than, Under-secretary of State,Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs

• M. Hab Touch, Deputy Director, NationalMuseum of Kingdom of Cambodia

• Mr. Bong Sovath, Assistant to Minister, Deputy-Director General of Techniques for Culture,Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts

• Mr. So Chenda, Vice Dean of Plastic ArtsFaculty, Royal University of Fine Arts

• Mr. Uong Sophearin, Deputy-Director ofAdministration and Finance Department,Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs

• Mr. Lay Angkara, Staff, Cambodian NationalCommission for UNESCO

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• Preah Krou Sanghsatha Tin Rithy, PermanentAssistant, Cabinet of the Supreme PatriarchTep Vong, Cambodian Buddhist Sangha ofMohanikay Order

• Preah Krou Thomvichea Kan Sokhom,Secretary of Wat Svaypopei Buddhist HighSchool, Cambodian Buddhist Sangha ofThomayut Order

• Mr. Philippe Peycam, Director, Center ofKhmer Studies

• Mr. Rik Ponne, Programme Specialist,UNESCO Bangkok

• Ms. Nao Hayashi, Culture ProgrammeSpecialist, UNESCO Phnom Penh

• Mr. Prom Chak, National Project Coordinator,UNESCO Phnom Penh


There are two Buddhist sects in Cambodia: theMahanikay Order and theThommayut Order. Theproject implementationstrategy for Cambodia is towork with both sectssimultaneously in order toachieve maximum impactand coverage. In order tofacilitate closecollaboration between thedifferent Buddhist sectsand the concernedgovernment counterparts,the project has establisheda National ProjectSupervisory Committee onwhich all stakeholders arerepresented and which meets regularly to reviewproject progress and discuss future plans anddirections.

As reported in the previous progress report, theobjectives of the project in Cambodia, as they weredeveloped in consultation with the local stakeholders,are:

• to raise awareness on the reasons to conserveBuddhist heritage, both tangible (i.e.temples) as well as intangible (i.e. artisticskills and traditional knowledge needed toconserve old temples and build new templesin authentic ways)

• to launch hands-on training in both Buddhistart and basic (preventive) conservation

• to document knowledge and skills for widerdissemination

• to build strong networks that will allow for long-term sustainability of the projectachievements.

Project output to date

The project has made great strides towards achievingits objectives during the past year.During one of the first meetings of the NationalSupervisory Committee, it was decided to establishtwo training centers for traditional Buddhist arts andcrafts in Cambodia: one managed by the ThommayutOrder, located in Phnom Penh at Wat Svaypopei,and one by the Mahanikay Order, located in SiemReap at Wat Bo.

In order to facilitate exchange and cooperation, bothtraining centers would be implementing the sametraining curriculum, focusing primarily on drawing,woodcarving, mural painting, preventive conservationand Buddhist theory. The Royal University of FineArts agreed to develop the training curriculum. Draftshave been prepared and discussed at meetings ofthe National Supervisory Committee and the trial

curriculum is currentlybeing finalized.

To provide the trainers andtrainees with referencematerial of good examplesof authentic CambodianBuddhist art, it wasdecided to undertakedocumentation, usingphotography, drawing andtext, of older,representative pagodasthroughout the country.The provinces of Kratie,Kompong Cham andBattambang were

selected as locations to undertake the research dueto the fact that the older temples that remain in theseprovinces represent the different Buddhist art stylesthat were identified in Cambodia. The Ministry ofCulture and Fine Arts kindly agreed to implementthis project component. Documentation is currentlyongoing.

Implementation Obstacles

The obstacles reported in the previous report (limitedscope for collaboration between the two Buddhistsects due to political alignment and reliance onexternal expertise) have since partially beenovercome. The National Supervisory Committee hasbeen able to build trust and facilitate dialogue. Thenon-partisan role of the National Project Coordinator,based at UNESCO office in Phnom Penh, has alsocontributed to a better understanding and cooperationbetween the two Buddhist orders on theimplementation of this project.

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In terms of human capacity to implement the project,the execution of the on-site activities has been putcompletely in the hands of the local steeringcommittees (monitored by the National ProjectCoordinator and UNESCO) and has lead toencouragingly good results. While initially, the localsteering committees lacked confidence in theircapacity to run the project activities on their own(partially due to the fact that in Cambodia,implementation of aid projects is usually done byforeign advisors and the Cambodians merely assist),now they have experienced that they are capableand self-confidence has grown among the committeemembers.

Capacity within the Ministry of Culture and Fine Artsto undertake the documentation turned out to lowerthan anticipated, partially due to time constraints.

2.1.3 Cambodia (Phnom Penh)

Local focal point:• HH Sangharaja Bour Krey, Patriarch of the

Thommayuth Sect, Wat Botum Vaddey,Phnom Penh

Local organizing committee:• HH Sangharaja Bour Krey, Supreme

Patriarch of Cambodia, CambodianBuddhist Sangha, Chairman

• Ms. Tara Lewis, Director of ProjectDevelopment, Alliance of Religions andConservation (ARC), Vice- Chairman

• Preah Krou Singhamonkol Chean Sopheak,Cambodian Buddhist Sangha of ThomayutOrder, Member

• Preah Krou Thomvichea Kan Sokhom,Secretary, Wat Svayporpeo ThummayutHigh School, Cambodian Buddhist Sanghaof Thomayut Order, Member

• Ms. Van Virya, Student, University ofNational Management, Member


A training center for traditional Buddhist arts andcrafts has been established in Phnom Penh at WatSvaypopei, managed by the Thommayut Order. WatSvaypopei in Phnom Penh is a very prominent pagodaand also houses a large Buddhist high school.Integrating the management of the training centerinto the management of the high school will contributeto the sustainability of the project outcomes. Thecenter will focus on training in wood carving, drawingand painting.


Preparations of the training venue at Wat Svaypopeistarted early 2006. Several rooms were upgraded,furniture ordered and installed, tools and suppliespurchased.

A grand opening ceremony was held in May. Theceremony was presided over by His Majesty KingNorodom Sihamoni of Cambodia and attended bySangharaja Bour Krey, senior government officials,UNESCO representatives, hundreds of monks andlay community members.

Training of the first batch of trainees commencedimmediately after the auspicious opening ceremony.

Implementation obstacles

As mentioned above, the initial obstacles of lowconfidence among the local coordinating committeehave been overcome and the training center is nowrunning smoothly. Some further assistance may beneeded in order to get the financial administration ofthe training center in order. Efforts should from nowon focus on financial and institutional sustainabilityof the training centre to ensure continuation of projectactivities after the end of the UNESCO project.

2.1.4 Cambodia (Siem Reap)

Local focal point:• Mr. Tuon Vuthy, Professor and member of

managing committee of Rajbo Buddhist HighSchool

Local organizing committee:• Sangharaja Tep Vong, Supreme Patriarch of

Cambodian Buddhism, Co- HonorableChairman

• Preah Maha Vimaladhamma Pin Sem,Second level of the Royal order, TheravadaBuddhism, Co-Honorable Chairman

• Preah Tepsatha Chhoeng Bunchhea, ChiefCabinet of the Supreme Patriarch,Mahanikay Order, Chairman

• Preah Krou Sangsatha Tin Rith, Permanent

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Assistant, Cabinet of the Supreme PatriachTep Vong, Vice-Chairman

• Venerable Chum Kim Leng , Monk in WatRajbo, Member

• Venerable Khiev Ney, Monk in Wat Rajbo,Member

• Venerable Put Porn, Monk in Wat Rajbo,Member

• Venerable Sortom Kimsun, Monk in WatRajbo, Member

• Venerable Srey Makara, Monk in Wat Rajbo,Member

• Mr. Tuy Huy, Head of Religion Affairs of SiemReap Province, Member

• Mr. Tuon Vuthy, Professor and member ofmanaging committee of Rajbo Buddhist HighSchool, Secretary


A training center for traditional Buddhist arts andcrafts has been established by the Mahanikay Orderat Wat Bo in Siem Reap. The center will focus ontraining in wood carving, drawing and painting.

Wat Raj Bo in Siem Reap is, like Wat Svay Popei inPhnom Penh, a very prominent pagoda and alsohouses a Buddhist high school. Integrating themanagement of the training center into themanagement of the high school will also herecontribute to the sustainability of the projectoutcomes.

The Abbot of Wat Raj Bo is a master craftsman

himself and the pagoda has been a center forproviding training in Buddhist decorative arts for sometime now, primarily to lay craftsmen working ondifferent pagodas in the area. The added value of thisproject is that now monks are being trained as well,using a more formal or standard training curriculum.This will ensure that the objects being created willhave the required spiritual meaning and depict storiesmore authentically.


Preparations of the training venue at Wat Raj Bo alsostarted early 2006. An existing building, which has adual function as theatre for shadow pupety (anotherskill and interest of the Abbot of Wat Bo) wasupgraded, furniture ordered and installed, tools andsupplies purchased.

As in Phnom Penh, a grand opening ceremony washeld in Siem Reap in May. The ceremony waspresided over by Sangharaja Thep Vong, SupremePatriarch, senior provincial government officials,UNESCO representatives, hundreds of monks andlay community members.

Training of the first batch of trainees commencedimmediately after the auspicious opening ceremony.


As mentioned above the initial obstacles of lowconfidence among the local coordinating committeehave been overcome and the training center in SiemReap is now also running smoothly.

One of the obstacles in Siem Reap is that the Abbothas quite strong opinions about the training curriculumand it he has proven difficult to be convinced to adoptthe training curriculum prepared by the RoyalUniversity of Fine Arts. Further discussions may berequired to ensure that the subject taught in the centerare in conformity with the project’s objectives.

As in Siem Reap, efforts should also focus on findingways to achieve financial and institutionalsustainability of the training centre to ensurecontinuation of project activities after the end of theUNESCO project.

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2.1.5 China (Gu Wa Monastery, SadeTownship, Kangding County, Sichuan)

Project Focal Point:• Ms. Dechen Lhaze, daughter of Mr. Choekyi

Gyalten Mi Nyag, the Rimpoche of the GuWa Monastery

Local Organizing Committee:• Mr. Choekyi Gyalten Minyak, the Rimpoche

of Gu Wa Monastery and Professor at TibetUniversity.

• Mr. Dradul, Director of the DemocraticManagement Committee of Gu WaMonastery

• Mr. Gyamtso, Project Management, andalso a trainer for Butter Sculpture

• Mr. Namka – Senior Consultant


Tibetan monasteries in Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnanwere devastated during the political mass movementsof the 1950s to the 1970s. All monks weredefrocked, Buddhist images demolished, andmonasteries and temples razed. In the early 1980spractically nothing remained of the thriving Gu Wamonastery complex – only a few foundations andcorner stones.

Mr. Choekyi, who trained as a traditional architect inLhasa, was teaching at Tibet University in the early1980s when he learned that he was permitted to returnto his monastery. From the very beginning of therestoration work that began at Gu Wa, Mr. Choekyirecognized the need to train a new generation ofmasters – both textual and artistic. By the mid-1980s Mr. Choekyi began to send a few select monksfrom Gu Wa to Lhasa to train with masters there.These monks have already returned to Gu Wa, andhave begun the work of re-building the monasterycomplex, and filling it with the paintings and sculpturewhich define a Tibetan temple.

When Mr. Choekyi learned of the UNESCOprogramme he quickly expressed a strong interestto participate. He clearly recognized that the nextstep in restoring his temple and others in the SadeTownship area was to create a corps of local artisansfrom within the monk community.

Thus, the objective of this project is primarily to revivethe training in the traditional Buddhist arts and crafts,and to guarantee their transmission to the nextgeneration of young monks. Although documentationof the arts and crafts and existing temples andmonasteries has been discussed, this has not been,and still is not a major objective.

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The project began officially in June 2005, and theprimary output has been training. Training in fiveskills began after two months of preparation.Preparation included: (i) identifying masters; (ii)selecting trainees; (iii) preparing the manuals andtextbooks; and (iv) gathering the necessary rawmaterials. The first five skills were: (i) clay sculpture;(ii) thangka painting; (iii) painting on woodenarchitectural pieces; (iv) butter sculpture; and (v)embroidery for ritual dance costumes. Training inmural painting began in spring 2006.

Some documentation of the training and the mastershas been done during the visits by the Rimpoche orhis daughter. However, the documentation has notbeen systematic.

One unique aspect of this training is that theRimpoche has included nuns from nearby JedeNunnery. The nuns are currently being trained inbutter sculpture and embroidery (for the ritual dancecostumes). They have expressed interest in learningcarving Tibetan scripture wood blocks, and it isplanned to expand their training to include this skillin the coming year.


The trainers are traditional masters who are usingtraditional methods of teaching, i.e. a less formal,hands-on approach. Because they use this method,the masters are less competent at teaching within aclassroom setting and thus, less comfortableteaching art theory or the history of their Tibetantraditional art and architecture. They are also lessskilled at documenting recipes for mixing traditionalmaterials in a systematic manner.

Alternatively, the educational level of the young monksis low. Many have very limited formal education withvery little knowledge of math which is needed evenfor learning traditional measurement systems.However, the Local Focal Point believes that thestudents are learning quickly.

2.1.6 China (Jinghong, Xishuangbanna,Yunnan Province)

Local focal point:• Mr. Kang Nanshan, Vice Secretary General,

Buddhist Association, Yunnan Province

Primary Local Project Managers:

• The Buddhist Association of Xishuangbannao Kruba Longjormo Du Hantingo Du Kang - Documentation Management

o (Ms) Jin Hanfeng – Project OfficeManagement

o Du Yingban – Financial Managemento Du Mahajorm (now returned from the

Sangha)

National supervisory committee:

• Mr. Dao Shuren, President of the BuddhistAssociation of Yunnan Province;

• Mr. Xiong Shengxiang, Director of theReligious Affairs Bureau of Yunnan Province;

• Professor He Shaoying, Vice-president ofYunnan Nationalities University;

• Professor Wang Sidai, Dean of the ArtsCollege of Yunnan Nationalities Universities;


Because local Tai Lue culture, and especiallyBuddhist culture, was politically repressed from the1950s up to the late 1970s, most traditional arts andcrafts, and especially Buddhist arts and crafts,suffered. Not only were many of the traditional worksand temples destroyed or lost, but the influence ofmainstream Han culture, together withmodernization, fostered a low level of awarenessamong local Tai Lue of the value of their traditionalculture and the need to preserve it. Finally, duringthis period of political repression, there was notransmission of knowledge and skills from the oldermasters to the younger generation. By the 1980s,when Buddhist began to experience a revival, manyof the older masters had died or were too old to passon their skills.

Consequently, during the Buddhist revival, most ofthe new temples and stupas were constructed usingmodern techniques and materials. The high qualitycraftsmanship of many of the traditional Buddhist arts,for example, mural painting and making Buddhaimages, was lost.

Thus, the primary objectives of this project are similarto those found at other pilot sites participating in theproject, i.e. to:

• Document existing examples ofBuddhist temples and traditionalBuddhist arts and temple crafts;

• Identify and document traditionalmasters who are still living;

• Revive training in the traditional Buddhistarts and crafts; and

• Raise the awareness of the local Tai Luelay and religious communities withregard to the value of their traditionalBuddhist culture.


Systematic documentation work began during Cycle

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2. Forms were created in the Tai Lue, Chinese andEnglish languages. A small team has begun todocument the temples, temple arts and crafts, andmasters.

A computer database, which will store the informationcollected during documentation, is being set up, andwill be completed by October 2006. The databasewill serve as a depository of knowledge of Buddhistarts and crafts, and will also be used to developtraining materials. The database is designed toinclude both textual and visual materials, and willhave English, Chinese and Thai capability. At themoment, there is no software for the Tai Lue script.However, there are other people working on thisproblem, and when it is available, the fonts will beadded.

Activities to raise the awareness of the local peoplewith regard to the importance of their traditionalculture, and especially of their Buddhist culture, havebegun. The project has taken advantage of the localpublic media, for example, spots on radio, TV andnewspapers. T-shirts and brochures have beendesigned and produced, and are currently distributedat a number of Tai Lue-owned guest houses,restaurants and bars.

Some initial awareness raising activities have begunon the community level. Plans are in progress forestablishing an association aimed at organizing andcoordinating project activities within the structure ofWat Bajie. This association will highlight the workof the project, and can be used as a base for carryingout awareness raising activities.

A pilot training for approximately 40 young monkswas just set up to take place during Watsaa, theBuddhist Lent, which lasts from July to October. Thetraining is focusing on three traditional arts: (1) wallpainting; (2) stencil decoration; and (3) clay modeling.Three older masters were identified who agreed toprovide the training. The training is including basicartistic skills coupled with some study visits to thoselocal temples which reflect higher levels of artisticskill. The majority of trainees came from Jinghong(the location of Vat Bajie). At the time of this report,the training is still on-going.


The primary problem which has been plaguing theproject is the instability of the project team itself.The Project Coordinator is based in Kunming, andconsequently is able to maintain daily managementcontrol.

In addition, monks who were initially part of theproject team disrobed during the beginning of Cycle2. Although these persons still support the revival oftraditional Buddhist culture in the Xishuangbanna,they are no longer playing active daily roles.

Nonetheless, one monk has been assigned by theSangha to coordinate the project team, and additionalteam members have been identified, including twoyoung monks who have just returned from doingtraining in the arts in Myanmar. Because of theirregular availability of team members, thedocumentation work has been slow. Awarenessraising activities has also been slow for the samereason.

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2.1.7 India (Arunachal Pradesh)

Local focal point:• Lama Lopon Tsokney, Chairman of the

Tawang Gompa Management Committee

Local Coordination Committee:• Lama Lopon Tsokney, Chairman• Lama Umze Norbu, Member of the Uche-Zhi

(Senior Monks of the Monastery) and ChiefAdvisor

• Lama Chipa Penpa, Member of the Uche-Zhi, Chief Advisor

• Lama Gergoi T. Cheke, Member of the Uche-Zhi, Chief Advisor

• Lama Kesang Norbu• Lama Yeshi Khow• Mr. Nawang Phuntso, Local Project

Coordinator• Lama Lobsang Tempa, Secretary of Tawang

Gompa• Mr. Anupam Sah, Project Mentor

Local Advisory Board:• Lama Lopon Tshokney• Members of the Uche-Zhi• Mr. Tsewang Dondup, Member of the

Legislative Assembly for Tawang• Mr. Kapa Kholie, Deputy Commissioner for

Tawang• Mr. Nawang Phuntso, Local Project

Coordinator• Mr. Anupam Sah, Project Mentor


Relatively isolated, the Tawang Monastery is one ofthe largest monastic communities of the GelugpaSect in India. Project activities aims to revitalizethreatened Buddhist crafts and monastic rituals inaccordance with the following objectives, aselaborated by the local project team:

• to be able to achieve purity of the soul throughthe medium of physical execution of the craftor ritual

• the created physical form of the craft shouldbe good enough to be able to encouragedevelopment of purity into the contemplater(rather than just the beholder)

• the act of commissioning and helping to revivethe crafts/rituals should itself help thepatron(s) to work towards purification of theirsouls.

The local monastic community was mobilized in May2006 during a mission undertaken by Project MentorAnupam Sah and Local Project Coordinator NawangPhuntso. During the mission, the members of theLocal Coordination Committee and Local AdvisoryBoard were identified. The governing council of the

Monastery comprising of ten monks have shortlistedthe following crafts and related rituals for revival andfor a sustained continuation amongst the youngmonks and novices of the monastery:

• butter sculpture (Chezo kargyen)• mandala creation (Kilkhor)• larger three-dimensional mandala creation

(Loylang)• sacred chanting (Dontayang)• musical instruments – playing and making

(Silnyenrolmo)• clay modeling (Lha zho)• ritual movements / dancing (Cham)• manuscript creation, including paper and ink

making, and writing techniques (Pecha)• tangkha painting (Lhadi)• wall painting• conservation of sacred collections


In order to be able to prepare for the detaileddocumentation of the crafts/practices, preliminarydocumentation and understanding of the process arebeing worked out on the following crafts/ practices,categorized as follows:

• ‘plastic arts’ such as Lhazo, Lha-di, Kilkhor,etc., which are highly imbued with ritual andintangible content

• chanting (Dontayang) and musicalinstruments (Silnyenrolmo), which arepracticed by monks

• performing rituals, such as dances and theCham

• preservation of manuscripts and sacredobjects

Trainers and trainees for the Kilkhor and Chezo-Kargyen craft/rituals have already been identified.Initial project activities including research,documentation and pilot training programs areexpected to start during the last quarter of 2006.


The remoteness of the Tawang Monasteries and thelack of communication facilities in Arunachal Pradeshare expected to pose some difficulties in theimplementation of the project. Considering the lackof experience among the local monastic communityin implementing project activities, Mr. NawangPhuntso, a Research Scholar of the Rajiv GandhiUniversity in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh has agreedto relocate to Tawang as the on-site projectcoordinator.

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2.1.8 India (Ladakh)

Local focal point:• Mr Jigmed Namgyal, Secretary of the

Namgyal Institute for Research on LadakhiArts and Culture (NIRLAC)

Local organizing committee:• Gelong Tsewang Rigzen, Secretary, Hemis

Gonpa Management Committee• Raja Thinlas Namgyal, Manager, Hemis

Gonpa.• Dr. Jamyang Gyaltsen, President Matho

Gonpa Welfare Committee• Dr. Tashi Paljor, Principal, Central Institute

of Buddhist Studies• Gelong Jamyang Tharchin, Programme Co-

ordinator at Matho Gonpa• Gelong Sangye Tsering, Programme Co-

ordinator from Hemis Gonpa• Jigmed Namgyal, Secretary, NIRLAC• Mr Sonam Wangchok, Programme Co-

ordinator, NIRLAC• Mr Sanjay Dhar, Painting Conservator and

Consultant, NIRLAC• Ms Tara Sharma, Director (Cultural

Resources), NIRLAC


Considering the level of independence from thecentral government of the different project areas inIndia, setting up a National Supervisory Committeewas deemed not desirable nor feasible.


Project activities are aimed at reviving the traditionalwoodblock printing of sacred manuscripts and itscomponent crafts of wood block carving, traditionalpaper and ink.


The local project team has already completed twoproject implementation cycles. Cycle 1 from April toOctober 2005 was followed by Cycle 2 fromDecember 2005 to June 2006.

During the first project implementation cycle, the localproject team was able to achieve the followingobjectives:

• Documentation of wood blocks. A total of1528 wood blocks from both Matho andHemis Monasteries were sorted anddocumented by the monks from fourmonasteries during this period.

• Identification of trainers and trainees of thepilot training program on reviving traditional

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woodblock printing• Identification of raw materials used in wood

block carving, paper making and ink making.Different grass species were collected bythe monks from various locations todetermine the correct material for reviving theproduction of traditional paper.

• Research on the old techniques of papermaking, wood block carving and ink makingto enable development of training curriculumduring the next project cycle

The local project team was able to accomplish thefollowing activities during the second projectimplementation cycle:

• Pilot training programme (45 days) on woodblock carving, traditional paper and inkpreparation. The training workshopparticipated by 10 monks and conducted atthe Matho Monastery was supervised byidentified expert craftsmen.

• Production and painting of wooden cabinetto house the archive of woodblocks at HemisMonastery, using traditional productiontechniques and design, as well asindigenous paint pigments.

• Training on preventive conservation. A month-long training programme on the preventiveconservation and cleaning of wood blocksusing traditional techniques and cleaningmaterials was implemented in May 2006 formonk trainees from four monasteries. Morethan 300 woodblocks were cleaned andproperly stored during the trainingprogramme.

• Conduct of awareness programme.Awareness campaigns among members ofthe Buddhist communities in Ladakh todiscuss project activities at Hemis andMatho Monasteries and to create awarenesson the need to revive traditional Buddhist artsand cultures was continued. DoordharshanDelhi telecast a 15 minutes programme onthe project in January 2006 and several otherprogrammes were shown throughDoordharshan Leh. During last two monthsthe local project coordinator met with monksfrom several monasteries in Ladakh todiscuss the monks project.

• Printing of important sacred texts usingcleaned/restored old wood blocks.

An important output of the second projectimplementation cycle was the preparation of a trainingmanual in video format based on footages takenduring the pilot training programme on wood block

printing. Copies of the video training manual in locallanguage will be distributed to all monasteries inLadakh. The training manual in video format includesthe following topics:

• Importance of manuscripts in Buddhism• Making of tools• Wood block carving• Preparation of traditional ink• Preparation of traditional paper• Preventive conservation and cleaning of wood

blocks


Project activities are temporarily suspended duringthe winter months due to inclement weatherconditions.

2.1.9 India (Sikkim)

Local focal point:• Rev. Kunga Yonten Hotchotsang, Director

of the Sa Ngor Chotshog Monastic Centre

Local organizing committee:• Ven. Khenpo Loten Rinchen, Abbot of the

Sa Ngor Chotshog Monastic Centre• Ven. Kunga Yonten Hotchotsang, Director

of the Sa Ngor Chotshog Monastic Centre• Mr. Tashi Densapa, Director of the Namgyal

Institute of Tibetology in Gangtok• Mr. C.K.Dorjee, New Editor, AIR, Gangtok

National supervisory committee:• Ven. Kunga Yonten Hotchotsang, Director

of the Sa Ngor Chotshog Monastic Centre• Ven. Jamyang Lepshey, Director of the

Shakya Center, Dehradun• Mr. C.K.Dorjee, New Editor, AIR, Gangtok• Mr. Gonpo Dorjee, Secretary, Ngorpa

Headquarters, Dehradun• Ms. Gurmeet Sangha Rai, Director of CRC,

New Delhi• Ven. Lopon Norbu Gyaltshen, Principal of

Sintokha, Bhutan• Ms. Tara Sharma, NIRLAC, New Delhi• Ms. Nagtso Dorjee, Government of Bhutan


In Sikkim, the project aims to provide trainingprograms for young monks and novices in revivingritualistic arts (such as sand mandala, torma buttersculpture, thread work, sacred chanting and the useof musical instruments), as well as regular trainingprograms on wood crafts, calligraphy and drawing.

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The local project team has completed two projectimplementation cycle. Cycle 1 from February toAugust 2005 was followed by Cycle 2 from October2005 to June 2006.

During the first project implementation cycle, trainingprograms in wood crafts, calligraphy and drawing wereintroduced into the regular educational curriculum ofmonks and novices in the centre. Thirty monks atone time are being trained in each craft five times aweek. Under the training courses, students are taughtthe basics of Buddhist art, drawing, and the traditionalstyles of writing in Tibetan script, particularly the U-Chen style (mainly used for wood block printing andengraving on stones and metals) and the U-Med style(used for writing Buddhist manuscripts as well as forsecular use). The monastery has revived the art ofteaching traditional styles of calligraphy on woodslates, which is an endangered artform.

From July-August 2005 during the annual SummerRetreat of the monks, the Sa Ngor Chotshog Centreorganized training programmes on the followingritualistic arts. The training workshops weresupervised by His Eminence Luding Khenchen DorjeChang, the Supreme Head of the Ngorpa tradition ofthe Sakyapa Order based in Dehradun (India) and

who is the only surviving authority on traditionalritualistic arts of the Ngorpa tradition. Video andphotographic footages of the training programmetaken during the training programs will be edited insucceeding project cycles to produce user-friendlytraining manuals in video format.

• Torma (butter sculpture)An important form of monastic art, the tormaof different sizes and shapes are preparedfor various rituals for different deities.

• Thread workIn this significant ritualistic art, thread ofdifferent colours are wound around bambooframes.

• Sand mandalaThe making of sand mandala is a complexform of Buddhist ritualistic art. The monktrainees were taught the basics of drawingsand mandala diagram of different sizes,shapes and color depending on ritualisticrequirement of different deities, each havingtheir different aspects namely peace,prosperity, power and wrathful forms. Thestudents are taught the process of grindingwhite stone chips into powder and traditionalmethod and process of making color powder

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for use in sand mandala drawings.

During the second project implementation cycle, thelocal project team accomplished the following:

• Continuing training programs in wood crafts,calligraphy and drawing are being conductedby expert craftsmen/trainers.

• Cleaning, documentation and cataloguing ofthe center’s wood block library consistingof over 2500 woodblocks, leading to thereproduction of xylographs on traditionalpaper in the succeeding project cycles.

• Training of four lamas from the Sa NgorChotshog Center at the Ngorpa Headquartersin Dehradun on ritualistic arts, such as theYamantaka Togyab ritual (used to overcomemisfortune and calamities), hymn recitationand playing of musical instruments. Aftertheir return to Sikkim, the four lamas passedon their acquired knowledge to other monksin the centre. As a result, the monasterywas able to perform the Yamantaka Puja(ritual) for the first time since the center wasestablished in 1961.


The local project team is facing problems in puttingthe video documentation of the training in ritualisticarts (taken during the Summer Retreat of 2005)together, considering that only one video camera wasused to document the different training programswhich were conducted simultaneously. The team isnow looking for someone who is technically capableof putting the footages together, in order to come upwith user-friendly training manuals in video form.

2.1.10 India (Sikkim – replication)

In May 2006, UNESCO undertook a mission toSikkim to explore the possibility of replicating projectactivities in other monasteries in Sikkim. TheNamgyal Institute of Tibetology organized a two-dayworkshop which was attended by 18 senior monksfrom the following monasteries representing the threeBuddhist sects in Sikkim:

• Sangchen Pemayantse Monastery, WestSikkim (Nyingma Sect)

• Tingkey Gonjang Monastery, Gangtok, WestSikkim (Nyingma Sect)

• Serdup Choling Monastery, South Sikkim(Nyingma Sect)

• Pal Karmae Shedup Chokorling Rumtek(Dharma Chakra Centre) Monastery, EastSikkim (Kadgyu Sect)

• Zurmang Garwang Monastery, East Sikkim(Kadgyu Sect)

• Ralang Palchen Choling Monastery, South

Sikkim (Kadgyu Sect)• Dophenling Sera Monastery, Gangtok

(Gelupta Sect)

The monks expressed their interest to initiate projectactivities in their monasteries. Among the urgenttraining needs identified by the monks were thefollowing: (i) woodblock printing; (ii) ritualistic arts(such as musical traditions, threadmaking, thormasculpture and sand mandala); and the (iii) revival ofthe ‘kadye’ ritual which is performed only once inthree years by the Sangchen PemayantseMonastery.

Each monastery submitted their individual projectproposals, which were evaluated in consultation withthe Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, using the criteriaof: (i) urgency of reviving threatened art/rituals; (ii)local capacity to provide counterpart funding forproject activities; and (iii) local capacity to sustainproject activities and replicate them in other monasticcommunities. The two monasteries selected basedon the criteria are as follows:

• Pal Karmae Shedup Chokorling Rumtek(Dharma Chakra Centre) MonasteryProject activities will focus on documentationand training in performing religious rituals ofthe Karma Kagyu in Tsurphu Tradition,involving ritual instruments, leading to thedevelopment of training manuals in audio/video/written formats for training of monksand novices in other 56 Kagyu monasterieswithin the sphere of influence of the DharmaChakra Centre.

• Sangchen Pemayantse MonasteryProject activities will include thedocumentation and revitalization of ritualisticarts and crafts according to the Kagyat andDrakpo Deshi ritual practices, which arerarely practiced due to very complicatedritualistic trainings required. Ritualistic arts/practices include sand mandalas,preparation of nine fierce deities, torma buttersculpture, religious chants and musicalinstruments.

The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology will be the leadinstitution in administering and monitoring projectactivities in the two monasteries. The formerSecretary of the Ecclesiastical Affairs of Sikkim Mr.Nangzey Dorjee who maintains excellent ties withall monasteries in Sikkim has agreed to be the projectcoordinator for both project sites. It is expected thatproject activities in both monasteries will start duringthe last quarter of 2006.

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2.1.11 Lao PDR (general)

Local focal point:• Mr. Heng Daovannary, Secretary-

General, Lao National Commission forUNESCO

National supervisory committee:• Pha Achan Chalom, Lao Buddhist

Fellowship Organization Vientiane• Mr. Bounleuane Boupa, Deputy

Permanent Secretary, Ministry ofInformation and Culture, Vientiane

• Mr. Heng Daovannary, Secretary-General, Lao National Commission forUNESCO

• Dr. Chantapilith Chiemsisuraj,Director, Institute for CulturalResearch Vientiane

• Representative from the BuddhistUniversity Vientiane

• Representative from the Department ofNon-Formal Education, Ministry ofEducation, Vientiane

• Representative from the Department ofReligion, Lao National Front forConstruction, Vientiane

• Ven. Khamchan, Provincial Patriarch,Buddhist Sangha Luang Prabang

• Ven. Souvanh Chanthalath, ProvincialPatriarch, Buddhist SanghaChampasak

• Ven. Khamngeun Khamvong,

Provincial Patriarch, Buddhist SanghaBokeo

• Provincial Patriarch, Buddhist SanghaSavannakhet

• Mr. Bounkhong Khutthao, DeputyDirector, Department of informationand Culture Luang Prabang Province

• Mr. Sengaloun Phonechith, Director,Department of information and CultureChampasak Province

• Mr. Bounsi Bounnyavong, DeputyDirector, Department of informationand Culture Bokeo Province

• Mr. Nalatheveth Ammalathithada,Head of Culture Section, Departmentof information and CultureSavannakhet Province


Luang Prabang was the pilot site during Phase I ofthe project and now serves as the model for othersites. During Phase I, the Luang Prabang TrainingCenter for Laotian Traditional Temple Arts andBuilding Crafts was established. During Phase II,this centre will serve as a resource base andtraining center for monks from monasteries aroundthe country. It will also provide training-of-trainerscourses for monks from Bokeo and Champasak aswell as mobile training teams to assist on-site inBokeo and Champasak. Champasak willeventually be developed as the resource andtraining center for southern Lao PDR while Luang

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Prabang will cover the northern and centralprovinces. Bokeo (northwestern Lao PDR) andSavannakhet (southern Lao PDR) will serve assatellite centers for the training centers in LuangPrabang and Champasak respectively.

Country-wide objectives of the project include:• Establishment of a strong network for

cooperation and cross-mentoringbetween different project sites throughexchange of teachers and trainees,mobile training teams, joint trainingactivities and meetings

• Development of a temple custodianmanual focusing on preventiveconservation and basic maintenance,drawing on traditional knowledge,materials and techniques. Thesemanuals will be used in the trainingcenters but will also serve to educateabbots and monks not enrolled in thetraining.

Site specific objectives are listed under each site.


A very strong cross-mentoring network has beenestablished between the participating project sitesin Lao PDR. The network serves as a platform forexchange of experiences, consultation, technicalassistance and training. The Luang Prabangproject team has been instrumental in assistingthe other project sites during their initialimplementation stages and serves as a node forcommunication between the sites themselves andwith UNESCO.

Luang Prabang has also taken the lead in thedevelopment of the temple custodian manual.Considering the fact that such a manual is alsobeing developed in the Nan project site inThailand, it is anticipated that the two project siteswill exchange results of their preliminary workwhich can strengthen the end result of bothproducts.


As mentioned, Luang Prabang has developed intoa node for assisting other project sites. Wheneverthe Luang Prabang team is requested to provideon-site assistance at one of the other project sites,project activities in Luang Prabang slow down.Travel time between Luang Prabang and Bokeo, forexample, is two days by boat. The same time isneeded to travel to the south of the country to visitSavannakhet and/or Champasak.

2.1.12 Lao PDR (Bokeo)

Local focal point:• Mr Bounsi Bounnyavong, Director,

Bokeo Provincial Department ofInformation and Culture

Local organizing committee:• Mr. Bounkhong Lasoukan, Deputy

Governor of Bokeo Province• Abbot Khamngeun Khamvong,

President of Bokeo Buddhist Sangha• Mr. Somsak Khammaniphanh, Chief of

Provincial Department of Education• Mr. Bounsi Bounnyavong, Project

Director and Deputy Director of theProvincial Department of Informationand Culture

• Mr. Kenkham Chanthalith, ProjectDeputy Director

• Mr. Som-ok, Specialist


Bokeo will serve as a satellite center for traditionalBuddhist arts and building crafts in northwesternLao PDR linked to the training center in LuangPrabang. Training-of-trainers will be conducted atthe training center in Luang Prabang. Upon theirreturn to Bokeo, the trainers will conduct pilottraining at a small training center established aspart of the project as well as undertake practicumwork at local monasteries. Mobile training capacitywill be available from the Luang Prabang trainingcenter. When sufficient local capacity has beenbuilt, the satellite center in Bokeo will implement alonger-term hands-on training programme formonks and novices from the different districts inBokeo province.

An additional strategy is to undertake sub-regionalsharing and cross-mentoring between thepredominantly Tai Lue Buddhist communities inBokeo, Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China, and Nanprovince in Thailand which is hoped to re-enforcethe Tai Lue culture, identity and, in particular, theTai Lue Buddhist arts, which are distinct andthreatened in their survival.

Within Bokeo province, the Bokeo project team willundertake awareness raising activities about theneed to conserve Buddhist heritage, including thedistinct Tai Lue styles, and traditional crafts for therepair and maintenance of the remaining oldermonasteries.


The local project steering committee was officiallyestablished on 29 June 2005. Initial delays due to

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lack of local capacity to finalize the workplans andsubsequently difficulties with the local bank inreceiving funds from UNESCO, the launch of on-site project activities in Bokeo started in October2005. The Luang Prabang project team hasprovided excellent mentoring and technicalassistance both long distance -- through telephoneand fax -- as well as on-site. (Despite the fact thattraveling to Bokeo from Luang Prabang is a two-day journey, the Luang Prabang team hasundertaken several trips).

Prior to the launch of on-site activities, for severalmonths already, monks from Bokeo hadparticipated in the training n Luang Prabang. Thesemonks will eventually return to Bokeo to betrainers at the center.

The participation of the Bokeo team in theTheravada Caucus in Nan, Thailand in December2005 has facilitated an increased understanding ofthe project objectives and provided ideas fordocumentation techniques. In addition, the caucusprovided an excellent opportunity to initiatecollaboration between the Tai Lue project sites ofBokeo, Nan, Xishuangbanna and Luang Prabang.

After the Nan Caucus, the Bokeo project team hasundertaken multi-day awareness raising trips toseveral districts in Bokeo province during whichthey met with villagers and monks to discusscultural survival issues and identify potentialtrainers and trainees for the center.

At the end of December 2005, the project teamundertook a study trip to Luang Prabang toobserve training activities and management of thetraining center there and in January 2006, atraining center was set up at Vat Keophonesavanhin Houaysai, the provincial capital of Bokeo. Anopening ceremony was held in whichrepresentatives from the national level, LuangPrabang and UNESCO participated. Training in thecenter focuses on drawing, painting, carving, andmodeling.


English language capacity in Bokeo is generallylow and in order to facilitate communicationbetween the Bokeo team and UNESCO, allcommunication is channeled through the LuangPrabang project manager. This causes somedelays as well as puts another strain on the LuangPrabang team, which is providing assistance to allproject sites in Lao PDR. On the positive side, thisalso facilitates network building between the Laoproject sites, which contributes to long-termsustainability.

2.1.13 Lao PDR (Champasak)

Local focal point:• Mr. Outhai Souvannaphasi,

Department of Information and CultureChampasak

Local organizing committee:• Achan Souvanh Chanthalath,

Chairman, Provincial Buddhist Sangha• Mr. Sengalun Phonechid, Director,

Department of Information and CultureChampasak, Acting Chairman,Champasak Provincial HeritageProtection Committee (CPHPC)

• Mr. Siphanh Phousady, DeputyDirector, Department of Informationand Culture Champasak

• Mr. Visongkham Thammabanvong,Member, Provincial Department ofEducation

• Mr. Oudone Khonesavanh, ProvincialDepartment of Lao Front forConstruction

• Achan Bounchan Chinnyavong• Mr. Dethnakhone Khonesavanh• Mr. Outhai Souvannaphasi,

Department of Information and CultureChampasak


In Champasak, a resource and training center willbe established modeled on Luang Prabang, whichwill serve southern Lao PDR. With the Champasak

23

and Luang Prabang centers in place, andsupported by the satellite centers in Bokeo andSavannakhet, full coverage of Lao PDR will beachieved. The Champasak center will providetraining-of-trainers courses for monks fromSavannakhet, as well as mobile training teams toassist on-site in Savannakhet with on-the-jobtraining.

Training in Champasak will focus on all skills usedin temple decoration including painting, carving andsculpting, gold-leaf stenciling and the productionand application of traditional lime based stucco. Atraining-of-trainers programme will be conductedprior to launching the training activities, both inChampasak as well as through participation intraining in Luang Prabang.

In addition, a comprehensive awareness-raisingprogramme will be implanted reaching out to alldistricts of Champasak province.


Project activities in Champasak commenced inJune 2005. The first activity undertaken was toselect a number of talented monks and novices tosend to Luang Prabang to participate in a three-month training course specially designed by theLuang Prabang project team to learn basic skills orthe subjects included in the curriculum forChampasak. Meanwhile in Champasak, thetraining center, established on the ground of VatLuang in a series of class-rooms belonging to thetemple’s Monks highschool, was being prepared,equipment and tools purchased and a first batch oftrainees selected. Trainees come from severaldifferent districts in Champasak province.

Also during this period, the project teamconducted awareness-raising activities throughoutChampasak province. These trips were also usedto identify interested and skilled monks forenrolment in the training programme.

In September of 2005, upon the return of themonks and novices who participated in the trainingcourse in Luang Prabang, a ceremony was held toofficially open the training center. Representativesfrom the national level, the Luang Prabang andSavannakhet project sites and UNESCO traveledto Champasak to participate. While the firsttraining classes were conducted, training-of-trainers continued, particularly focusing on didactictechniques.

During the subsequent months of training, regularevaluations were conducted which has lead tosome revisions of the curriculum. In order topractice the use of traditional lime plaster, the

project team has identified an old temple (VatPhoxaisy in Ban Houa Mouang in Moun District)that would be a suitable site for a practicumproject. Considering that the temple is locatedrather far from the training center, logistics mayprove too complicated and costly to use this siteas training venue. However, in case funds can beidentified, it would provide an excellent opportunityfor the project and a demonstration project withpotential impact for the whole southern Lao PDR.


There are no real obstacles for the implementationof the training programme. However, in order for thelocal Sangha and provincial authorities to sustainthe center after UNESCO assistance runs out,ways need to be found to finance its ongoingexpenses.

2.1.14 Lao PDR (Luang Prabang)

Local focal point:• Mr. Bounkhong Khutthao, Deputy

Director, Department of informationand Culture Luang Prabang Province

Local organizing committee:• Abbot Onekeo, Vat Pakkhane,

Buddhist Sangha Luang Prabang• Abbot Chantalin, Vat Phoukuay,

Buddhist Sangha Luang Prabang• Mr. Bounkhong Khutthao, Deputy

Director, Department of informationand Culture Luang Prabang Province

• Mr. Somboun Bounthavong, HeadTeacher, UNESCO Training Centre forTraditional Laotian Temple Arts andBuilding Crafts

• Mr. Oupadith Patthavong, LocalProject Coordinator, UNESCO TrainingCentre for Traditional Laotian TempleArts and Building Crafts

• Mr. Thit Chanda, Master Craftsman,UNESCO Training Centre forTraditional Laotian Temple Arts andBuilding Crafts


The three main objectives of the project in LuangPrabang during Phase II are (i) to institutionalizethe center and make it financially sustainable, (ii)to upgrade skills of teaches and trainees and fill ingaps in knowledge and skills through specializedtrainings, and (iii) ensure Luang Prabang’s role asnational resource center for Buddhist arts andbuilding crafts in Lao PDR.

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This will be achieved through implementing thefollowing activities:

• Market the training center’scontractible services in order togenerate income to sustain thetraining and research in the long term

• Conduct, under expert guidance,specialized research and training to fillin gaps that remain in skills andexpertise among the teachers andtrainees of the Training Center,including the identification of sourcesfor natural color pigment for muralpainting, the identification of and/orthe local production of colored glassused for making mosaics, basicconservation skills, with a particularfocus on preventive conservation andemergency repair.

• Develop a temple custodian manualfocusing on preventive conservationand basic repair, using traditionalmaterials and techniques.

• Build capacity to document andanalyze mural paintings and otherdescriptive decoration work. Theresults of this will be used to developtraining materials that can be used inthe training center in Luang Prabang.

• Conduct training-of-trainers for monksfrom Bokeo and Champasak andprovide on-site assistance in the formof mobile training teams is alsoforeseen in the project.


The main focus during the period covered by thisreport has been on (i) the documentation of muralpaintings, (ii) the provision of training-of-trainersworkshops for monks from other project sites inLao PDR, (iii) the mentoring of project teams inChampasak, Bokeo and Savannakhet and (iv)developing a temple custodian manual.Subsequent work will focus on (i) the marketing ofthe Center’s contactable services and (ii) researchon for natural color pigments, glass for mosaics,basic and preventive conservation skills.

Documentation of mural paintings

In July 2005, a series of digital documentationworkshops were conducted by Mr PhilomSomsouthi, a Lao expert on digital photographyand photo editing. The outcomes of theseworkshops include a pool of trained monks withbasic skills of using high quality digital photo-equipment and photo manipulation software as wellas a manual which can be used as reference bythe monks who participated in the training as well

as by others interested in learning about this topic.

Following the workshops, the project hasconducted trial systematic documentation ofmurals in Luang Prabang. The results of this trialwere evaluated by the project team and UNESCOand adjustments to the methods were made.Documentation will continue during the comingproject period. It is clear, however, that additionaltechnical assistance will be required for the projectteam to be able to produce the inventories andcatalogues that are the ultimate objective of thisproject component. Plans are currently beingdeveloped on how to provide this assistance.

Training-of-trainers workshops

The Luang Prabang project team has regularlyconducted training-of-trainers workshops for monksfrom Bokeo and Champasak. These workshopshave been very successful and have alsocontributed to strengthening the national network,in which Luang Prabang functions as the mainnode.

Mentoring project teams in Champasak, Bokeoand Savannakhet

The Luang Prabang project team has provided veryeffective on-site mentoring and assistance to allother project sites in Lao PDR. This has not onlycontributed to the success of projectimplementation at these sites but alsostrengthened Luang Prabang’s role as nationalresource center for traditional Buddhist arts and

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building crafts in Lao PDR.

Temple custodian manual

A preliminary draft of a temple custodian manualhas been prepared by the project team, based onexperiences within the project site itself, but alsoon experiences gained from participation in otheractivities by project team members, such as themural conservation workshop in Vientiane reportedin the previous progress report and the TheravadaSubregional Caucus in Nan. Since the project sitein Nan is also in the process of preparing such amanual, the two sites are exploring ways tocollaborate on this.


Whenever the Luang Prabang team is requested toprovide on-site assistance at one of the otherproject sites, project activities in Luang Prabangslow down.

2.1.15 Lao PDR (Savannakhet)

Local focal point:• Mr. Nalatheveth Ammalathithada,

Deputy Director Culture Sector,Department of Information and CultureSavannakhet

Local organizing committee:• Abbot Phouvanh, Buddhist Sangha

Savannakhet• Director, Department of Information

and Culture Savannakhet• Mr. Nalatheveth Ammalathithada

Deputy Director Culture Sector,Department of Information and CultureSavannakhet

• Mr. Khamoheanh Sayathet, DeputyDirector, Department of Informationand Culture Savannakhet

• Mr. Somboun Soulivong, HeadReligion Department of SavannakhetProvince


Savannakhet will serve as a satellite center fortraditional Buddhist arts and building crafts insouth Lao PDR linked to the training center inChampasak. Trainees from Savannakhet willreceive training in Champasak, and possibly LuangPrabang, and will, upon their return toSavannakhet, further enhance their skills by doingpracticum work on temples, initially assisted by amobile training team from Champasak, andpossibly Luang Prabang.

When sufficient capacity has been built, thesatellite center in Savannkhet will provide hands-ontraining to other monks and novices from thedifferent districts in the province both in theprovincial capital Khanthabuli and in other districtsof Savannakhet Province.


Despite the fact that the local focal point, Mr.Nalatheveth Ammalathithada, has enthusiasticallyparticipated in all national project meetings andworkshops as well as in the Theravada subregionalcaucus, due to lack of commitment of hissuperiors, no detailed, realistic, workplans hadbeen submitted to UNESCO and therefore nocontract could be established.

Following recent changes in the seniormanagement of the Department of Information andCulture of Savannakhet, Mr. Nalatheveth has beenable to prepare and get approval for acomprehensive proposal focusing on theestablishment of a training center at VatSainyaphoum, the temple of the ProvincialPatriarch of Savannakhet. The center will be linkedinstitutionally to the Buddhist Highschool locatedon the grounds of Vat Sainyaphoum and theProvincial Patriarch himself will be one of thesenior trainers and in charge of overseeing projectimplementation.

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Initial activities will include training-of-trainers inLuang Prabang and Champasak, documentation oflocal Budhist art styles and production techniques,and preparation of the training center.


Due to long delays in launching project activities inSavannakhet, it will be challenging to achieve theobjectives and ensure sustainability before the endof the project.

2.1.16 Mongolia (Kharakhorin)

Local focal point:• L. Munkhzul, Cultural Officer,

Mongolian National Commission forUNESCO

Local organizing committee:• D. Khishigt, Head of Dambaravjaalin

Foundation, Erdene Zuu Monastery(Head)

• J. Batsuuri, Professor., D.Sc.,President of Kharakhorum University(Member)

• Yo. Naigal, Director, Erdene ZuuMuseum (Member)

• L. Munkhzul, Cultural Officer,Mongolian National Commission forUNESCO (Member)

• B. Adiya, Architect (Member)• S. Bolormaa, Project Coordinator

(Member)

National supervisory committee:• N. Urtnasan, Secretary-General,

Mongolian National Commission forUNESCO

• J. Batsuuri, Professor, D.Sc.,President of Kharakhorum University

• Z. Oyunbileg, Ph.D., Head, CulturalPolicy Department, Ministry ofEducation, Culture and Science ofMongolia

• L. Ganbaatar, Manager, MongolianNational Committee for World Heritage

• G. Purevbat, Monk, Director,Mongolian Buddhist fine art institute

• B. Adiya, Architect• L. Batchuluun, Professor, D.Sc in Art,

Researcher of national traditional fineart technology and methods

• B. Daajav, Professor, D.Sc inarchitecture, Researcher of ancienttemples and monasteries


The training programme focuses on Erdene ZuuMonastery in Kharakhorin, Uburkhangai Province,located within the Orkhon Valley CulturalLandscape World Heritage Site. Erdene Zuu is oneof the few monasteries that have partially survivedthe razing of almost 700 Buddhist monasteriesduring the late 1930s. The project aims to revivetraditional Buddhist decorative arts and craftsrequired to conserve and repair the remainingBuddhist temples of Mongolia and to reconstructthose that no longer exist, in an authentic way.The overall objectives of the project in Mongoliaare:

• To build local capacity in traditionalcrafts, management capacity of layand religious care-takers and trainingcapacity of local trainers

• To institute community-led trainingprojects in traditional decorative artsand building crafts among lay personsand the Sangha in basic preventativeconservation

• To develop partnerships and networkswith existing training institutions informal and non-formal education andlocal, national and regional technicalexpertise.

The expected project outputs include:• Establishment of a Research and

Training Center for Preservation ofBuddhist Cultural Heritage in Mongolia

• Institution of traditional and modernsystems of transferring skills

• Revival of knowledge and practice oftraditional decorative arts, buildingcrafts and use of traditional materialsas well as the provision of furthertraining in conservation principles andskills

• Production of site/country appropriatecurricula, technical manuals andguidelines on preventativeconservation and maintenance

• Documentation of project approach foreducational and advocacy purposes,photographic and video records oftraditional techniques andmethodologies and films documentingtraditional Buddhist arts.


From 15 August – 20 September 2005, theNational Coordinating Committee of the project hasundertook an expedition with the purpose ofincreasing awareness among monks about thecare for and conservation of Buddhist temples and

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artifacts. The Committee visited fourteenmonasteries in eight provinces, often located invery remote areas of the country, where they gavelectures and advice to over 1800 monks and localcommunity members. They also advised localabbots on the conservation and maintenance oftheir temples. The expedition also identified 18monks with basic proficiency in arts and 2craftsmen for enrollment in the training programmein Kharakhorin.

In the meantime in Kharakhorin, a Research andTraining Center for Preservation of the CulturalHeritage has been established at KharakhorumUniversity. Three classrooms have been convertedinto workshops for:

• Traditional painting and needlework• Traditional metalwork and ceramics• Traditional woodwork

At the Center, two three-month courses wereconducted for 20 trainees. Training focused onpractical subjects such as painting, needle work,metalwork, ceramics and woodwork, as well as ontheoretical subjects including architectural typesand styles of Mongolian Buddhist monasteries;traditional materials, techniques, tools andmethods used for their construction; and colortheory.

The project team has also written and compiled acomprehensive textbook for the training. Contenthas been gathered from scientific sources, artistsand old master-craftsmen. The first two chapterscontain general information such as origin, history

of Buddhist religion and architecture of Buddhisttemples, reason and consequence of decliningBuddhist practice and destruction of temples andmonasteries and present condition of restorationand conservation work of the Buddhist temples inMongolia. The third chapter, the core of the book,provides detailed information about the completerange of arts and crafts used for templeconstruction and decoration in Mongolia, includingselection of materials, use of tools, conservationissues etc, all accompanied by visuals, includingphotos, drawings and diagrams.

In addition, the project team has produces a videodocumentary. The aim of the video is two-fold.Firstly, it can be used as awareness-raising tool.Secondly, it contains sections explaining in detailtechniques used for temple construction anddecoration and can be used as part of the training.The duration of the video is 30 minutes, edited froma total footage of more than 5 hours.

As part of the training programme, the traineeshave prepared a scale model of a traditionalMongolian Buddhist temple. In addition, they havebeen invited to assist with the restoration of one ofthe temple buildings in Erdene Zuu currently beingrestored.

Finally, the project is preparing the reconstructionof the Main Prayer Hall of Erdene Zuu, which wasdestroyed during the 1930s and which will, oncecompleted, provide the space needed for practicingBuddhist rituals and prayers at the site, somethingnow done in a tent.

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The UNESCO World Heritage Center has inprinciple agreed to this proposed reconstruction,but has advised that more training will be requiredprior to commencing the project. A missionundertaken upon request by UNESCO by the TibetHeritage Trust to assess the current trainingproject and the proposed reconstruction plans haveresulted in useful recommendations which nowneed to be followed up on.


The challenges ahead include finding ways toassist the trainees who were recruited from remotemonasteries with finding ways to utilize their newlyacquired skills. They will often face the problem ofnot being able to identify the required funds toreconstruct or restore their temples, or facedifficulties in convincing senior monks orgovernment officials about the importance of usingtraditional techniques and materials.

At Erdene Zuu, this is not a problem as awarenessis generally high. The Abbot of the temple, who isalso the project manager, is committed to usingtraditional techniques and materials and the factthat it is located inside a World Heritage Siteguarantees government support. The Foundationestablished by the Abbot has also been able toraise funds for the reconstruction project. It ishoped that the experience in the Orkhon Valleycan be shared with monasteries in more remoteparts of the country in order to raise awarenessand provide a model to follow. Whether that can beachieved within the scope of this project will needto be determined.

2.1.17 Nepal (Lalitpur)

Local focal point:• Mr. Hera Kaji Bajracharya, Acting Project

Coordinator, Lotus Research Center

Local organizing committee:• Aju Surya Man Bajracharya, Ratnakar

Mahavihar (President)• Honorable Buddhi Raj Bajracharya,

Minister for Culture, Tourism & CivilAviation and Organization of BuddhistMahavihars of Lalitpur (Vice-President)

• Dr. Bajra Raj Shakya, Lotus ResearchCentre (2nd Vice-President)

• Mr. Mukunda Bista, NTHCH (MemberSecretary)

• Mr. Haribol Khanal, NFEC, MDES(Member)

• Mr. Roshan Bajracharya, NCC-NFE(Member)

• Ms. Saubhagya Pradhananga, Lalitpur

Sub-Metropolitan city office (Member)• Mr. Bikash Ratna Dhakhwa, Nepal

Handicrafts Association, Babar Mahal(Member)

• Mr. Rohit Ranjitkar, KVPT, Lalitpur(Member)

• Mr. Churna B. Bajracharya, LRC(Member)

National supervisory committee:• Mahasthavir Aaju Ratna Bajra

Bajracharya,Yashodhar Mahavihar(President)

• Honorable Buddhi Raj Bajracharya,Minister for Culture, Tourism & CivilAviation, Organization of BuddhistMahavihars of Lalitpur (Vice-President)

• Mr. Haribol Khanal, NFEC, MOES,Nepal (2nd Vice-President)

• Ms. Saubhagya Pradhananga, LalitpurSub-Metropolitan city office (MemberSecretary)

• Mr. Roshan Bajracharya, NRC-NFE(Member)

• Mr. Min Bahadur Shakya, NagarjunaInstitute (Member)

• Representative UNESCO, Kathmandu(Member)

• Mr. Rajkumar Shakya, AkshesworMahavihar (Member)

• Dr. Bajra Raj Shakya, LRC (Member)

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The main objectives of Lalitpur project site are:• To raise awareness among the Sangha

members and other stakeholders aboutthe conservation of the Buddhist arts andcrafts in Lalitpur

• To identify the needs areas and prioritizethem in consultation with thestakeholders and Sangha members

• To develop programs for training oftrainers

• To prepare training manuals andmaterials

• To train the Sangha members in thearts, crafts and liturgy.


The local project team has completed two projectimplementation cycles. The first cycle wasimplemented from January – July 2005, followed bythe second cycle from November 2005 – May 2006.

During the first project implementation cycle, the localproject team was able to accomplish the following:

• Awareness campaign among the 54mahavihars (major Buddhist temples) inLalitpur. The Center printed a projectbrochure in Nepali and English fordistribution to all temples andconcerned stakeholders.

• A task force undertook participatoryresearch among the master craftsmenand artists relating to wood, stone,metal, plaster, painting, and the tradition

of hymn recitations in temples. Aconsiderable amount of research anddocumentation on the arts and crafts,including production processes, havebeen gathered systematically.

• Curricula and draft guidebooks wereprepared on the following crafts relatedto the ritual of workship:o Toran and window woodcrafto Stone crafto Saymak Dyo in metal crafto Mud with lime plaster (base for wall

paintings)o Wall paintingo Religious hymn recitationso Lost-wax bronze casting of religious

images.

In the formulation of curricula and the draftguidebooks, the project team closely collaboratedwith the Nepal Resource Center for Non FormalEducation, the Center for Education for All, the Non-Formal Education Center of the Ministry of Education,the Handicraft Association of Nepal, and otherinstitutions and concerned stakeholders.

The second project implementation cycle focusedon the revival of the tradition of Namasangiti and otherhymn recitations and the stone chaitya sculptingthrough training programs. Specific accomplishmentsare:

• Training in religious hymn recitation in threemahavihars (monasteries) namely:Kamukamana, Gustalshree andHiranyavarna mahavihars. The recitation ofstotras (religious hymns) is slowlydisappearing in many monasticcommunities. A total of 101 trainees from 9vihars (monasteries) were trained in hymnrecitation. Of these, 43 of the successfultrainees are females.

• Training in stone chaitya sculpting at theMayurvarna MahaviharThough stonecraft is still flourishing amongthe Buddhist communities in Kathmandu,the rituals associated with stonecraft are nolonger taught to trainees. Under the project,the training in the construction of stonechaitya images included the revival of sacredrituals related to the stonecraft. A total of 20trainees, of which 4 are females,successfully completed the trainingprogramme.

• Research and documentation of thetraditional Buddhist craft of embossed metalconstruction, A pilot training programme torevive the embossed metalcraft will beinitiated during the third cycle of projectimplementation.

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The political unrest in Nepal has causedpostponements and delays in project activities,resulting in a three-month gap between the end ofthe first cycle and the start of the second cycle.Though the local project team has done so muchresearch and documentation on various Buddhistcrafts and practices, limited project funds haveprevented them from initiating training activities onother crafts.

2.1.18 Nepal (Mustang)

Local focal point:• Mr. Shabdrung R. P. Bista, President, Lo

Gyalpo Jigme Cultural ConservationFoundation

Local organizing committee:• Shabdrung R.P. Bista, Mustang Gompa

(President)• Mr. J.S.P. Bista, Lo Gyalpo Jigme

Foundation (Vice-President)• Tsewang J. Bista, Lo Gyalpo Jigme

Foundation (Member-Secretary)• Khempo Tenjing, Kag-Chode Thupten

Samphel Ling (Member)• Mr. Gyanendra Bista, Lo Gyalpo Jigme

Foundation (Member)


The same composition of the national supervisorycommittee of Lalitpur.


The programme in Mustang has the followingobjectives:

• to revive Buddhist arts and practices whichare under threat of extinction in monasticcommunities in Upper Mustang throughresearch, documentation and training

• to raise awareness among the lamas inMustang about the conservation of Buddhistarts and rituals


The UNESCO Kathmandu Office is assisting in theadministration and monitoring project activities inMustang. The first project implementation cycle ofsix months, initiated in April 2006, is focused on thefollowing activities:

• study of Buddhist crafts/rituals which wouldprovide a framework for planning activitiesfor the succeeding cycles

• training in documentation research strategyto allow for proper documentation of crafts/rituals that are under threat of extinction

• awareness raising and identification ofpotential trainers, trainees and resourcepersons.

In May 2006, Mr. Manik Ratna Shakya and Mr.Mahesh Pradhananga (two researchers/technical staffof the Lotus Research Centre which is implementingMonks Project activities in Lalitpur, Nepal),accompanied by Mr. Tsewang Bista and Mr. GyaychoGurung of the Lo Gyalpo Jigme Cultural ConservationFoundation undertook a mission to Upper Mustangto identify the different Buddhist arts/rituals, assessthe training needs and state of conservation of thevarious monasteries in Upper Mustang, and trainlocal stakeholders in documentation researchstrategy.

Monks and local stakeholders in the monasticcommunities in Upper Mustang have identified thefollowing urgent training needs:

• Initiation of Wong, Lung and TheeAccording to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, tobe a perfect lama, one must undergone thisinitiation to be able to perform advancedreligious rituals. However, gurus (teachers)who have the power to conduct this initiationon lineage basis are not available in UpperMustang, hence the need to train seniorlamas to become gurus.

• Sand MandalaRepresenting the philosophy of Buddhism,mandala is one of the essential elements ofBuddhism. Without a mandala, ritual worshipis not complete. Each monastery havespecific lineage deities, so sand mandalasmostly focus on the lineage deity of thespecific monastery. Unfortunately, mandala‘writers’ are very rare in Upper Mustang,hence a monastery is forced to hire theservices of a sand mandala writer fromanother monastery which has a differentlineage deity.

• Astrology and HealingThe lamas have an inextricable link with thevillagers, particularly in performing religiousfunctions associated with the stages of life:birth, ordination, marriage, death. Lamashave been performing these functions on thebasis of astrology. Likewise, lamas treat sickvillagers using ancient methods of healing,using different mantras. Since there are nohospitals in Upper Mustang, then the lamasplay the role of healers. However, there arevery few lamas who know these ancient

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traditions of astrology and healing, thus theurgency of this training need.

• Religious text writing and woodblock printingThe tradition of text writing, paper makingand woodblock printing has become extinct,thus the need to revive these crafts.


The remoteness of the Upper Mustang (air transportto Jomson, then two-days horseback riding), and thehigh cost of entry fees for foreigners to the site maypose real obstacles in project implementation. Duringthe winter season, most lamas from Upper Mustangleave for Kathmandu and Pokhara, thus future trainingprograms may have to be implemented in Kathmanduand Pokhara.

2.1.19 Sri Lanka (Kandy)

During a mission to Sri Lanka in March 2006,UNESCO found out that the original projectproponents in Kandy (Sri Devalaya Temple and theKandyan Art Association) have very weak capacityin managing the project.

Upon advice of the Secretary-General of the SriLankan National Commission for UNESCO, possiblecollaboration was discussed with the University ofPeradeniya, located on the outskirts of Kandy.Professor Sudharshan Seneviratne of the Departmentof Archaeology of the University expressed hisinterest to assist in the implementation of projectactivities at the Aluvihara Royal Temple in Matale,focused on reviving ola-leaf writing of religious texts.

The ola-leaf project of the will be initiated on a limitedscale at the Aluvihara Temple in Matale, a traditionallearning centre with well-stocked traditional ola-leaflibrary. Reviving the ola-leaf writing of religious textswill entail the revival of the art of processing ola-leaf,research on ola-leaf traditions, developing aconservation program for old ola-leaf manuscripts,digital archival recording and mapping of ola-leafrepositories in Sri Lanka, and eventually, trainingamong monks to relearn early Sinhalese, Tamil,Sanskrit and Pali languages (languages about to beextinct) which were used in ancient manuscripts. Aretired UNESCO staff member based in Sri Lanka,Mr. Jay Ratnayake has volunteered to assist/monitorproject implementation in Nepal. Initial projectactivities are expected to start during the last quarterof 2006 after submission of the work plan and siteactivity proposal by Mr. Sudharshan.


The political instability of Sri Lanka continues to

present an obstacle in the initiation of monks projectactivities in Sri Lanka.

2.1.20 Thailand (General)

Local focal point:• Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University

(MCU)

Partners:• Restaurateurs Sans Frontieres (RSF)• Fine Arts Department• Siam Society• Chulalongkorn University• King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology

North Bangkok• Silpakorn University


UNESCO has undertaken discussions withMahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU)and Restaurateurs Sans Frontieres (RSF) tocollaborate in developing a curriculum forconservation aiming at monks from aroundThailand and around the region, with accreditationthrough the formal educational system.

As an accredited university established in 1887,MCU today plays a central role in educatingmonks from Thailand and around Asia. With10,000 undergraduate students and 500 graduatestudents, MCU has a wide network, with a total of30 campuses, branches and educational centresin Thailand and the region. In addition to grantingformal degrees, MCU has also been recognized bythe Mahatherasamakhom (Thai Sangha SupremeCouncil) in offering a course in Thailand since 2003on Sangha Administration, which targets trainingmonk officials. In the area of Buddhist culturalheritage, MCU offers an introductory course toBuddhist arts already. Furthermore, MCU isconsidering the establishment of Buddhist ArtHalls as well, as an educational resource for itsstudents.


Upon extensive discussion with project partners, itappears that the curriculum should focus ongenerating (i) an awareness and understanding ofBuddhist art forms and (ii) preventativeconservation preventative conservation knowledge,rather than attempt to train professionalconservators. This is both in keeping with theurgent need facing monks in terms of templeadministration, as well as the restrictions of thesangha vinaya (monks’ code of conduct).

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In consultation with project partners, MCU hasidentified the need for the following types ofcourses:

• Major Course for BA students (4-5years). This will combine both BuddhistArts (already an existing draftcurriculum) as well as preventativeconservation issues topics. It will beopen to monks and laypersons fromaround the region.

• Major Course for MA students. This willbe offered in English, and be open tomonks and laypersons from around theregion

• Pre-BA certificate. A number ofselected courses on conservation andheritage management can be added tothe existing Sangha Adminstrationcourses. This will be offered in Thailanguage for monks.

The curriculum is being developed, with the targetopening date of the first BA course at the start ofthe next Thai academic year in May 2007.


Since conservation education is very nascent inThailand and the region, MCU will rely heavily onpartners in order to identify teachers and developtraining materials and equipment for the course.

2.1.21 Thailand (Nakhon Si Thammarat)

Local focal point:• Mr. Chatchai Sugrakanchana, President,

Rajabhat Institute, Nakhon Si Thammarat(NST)

Local organizing committee (provisional):• Phra Rat Patipan Sophon, Sangha

provincial governor, NST sangha(Mahanikaya)

• Phra Rat Dhamma Suthi, Sanghaprovincial governor, NST sangha(Dhammayut)

• Mr. Sawat Kleothanong, Governor of NST,NST province

• Mr. Sawat Kritrachatananda, ProvincialCultural President, NST CulturalCommittee

• Dr. Winai Chaitong, Director, Non-formalEducation Centre

• Mr. Boonrop Chaisen, Director, NationalBuddhism Office

• Dr. Roypimchai Petchakul, Director, NSTVocation College

• Mr. Prawit Thinnakhon, Director, NST Artsand Crafts College

• Mr. Kasem Sookbang, Director, NSTSchool of Arts

• Mr. Pin Keopratuang, Director, CommunityDevelopment Office

• Mr. Wichok Angmanee, Director, TAT, NST• Mr. Sampan Tongsamark, Representative,

NST province• Mr. Somnuk Ketchart, Municipality Lord

Mayor, NST municipality• Mr. Witoon Dejecho, Provincial

administrative chief, NST ProvincialAdministrative Org.

• Mr. Chatchai Sugrakanchana, President,Rajabhat Institute, NST

National supervisory committee (provisional):• Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and

the Pacific, UNESCO• Mr. Arak Sunghitakul, Director-General,

Fine Arts Department• Police Gen. Udom Charoen , Secretary,

National Buddhism Office• M.R. Pinyosawat Suksawat, Director,

Kanchana Bhisek School• Mr. Napawat Sompaun, Instructor, Fine

Arts Department• Phra Thep Panya Suthi, Deputy Rector,

MCU, NST• Phra Ratchadham Suthi, Deputy Rector,

MKU, NST• Phra Maha Tuan Pim-aksorn, Professor,

MCU

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• Dr. Sawat Tichuen, Deputy Director, Officeof the Non-formal Education Commission

• Mr. Pisit Chareonwongsa, Director, SPAFA• Mr. Khemchat Tepchai, Director, Office of

Archaeology, Fine Arts Dept


The Nakhon Si Thammarat project will focus onthree areas: (i) general awareness raising, (ii)crafts revival, especially of crafts associated withBuddhist ceremonies and rituals and (iii)preventative conservation. At the moment, thefocus of the project has been on preventativeconservation.


As the first activity in preventative conservation, apilot temple inventory was conducted at WatPattasima in Had Siew district. This temple hasan ancient library of scriptures located in a pondwhich has been used to store various artifacts,both of a sacred and secular nature. They havebeen sorted, inventoried, and properly stored withthe guidance of experts with the help of theresident monks and local community. This pilotwill serve as an example for the conduct of othertemple inventories in the province.

As a follow-up activity, the Nakhon Si ThammaratNational Museum organized a workshop onpreventative conservation from 17-21 July 2006. Atotal of approximately 50 persons took part (fivemonks and 45 laypersons) representing templecommunities which have important artifacts.Although relatively few monks took part, theparticipants included lay representativesdesignated by abbots, such as temple committeemembers. The workshop comprised boththeoretical lectures, hands-on practicum ofinventorying and preventative conservationtechniques, and field visits to temples with bothstrong and weak conservation practices. Theparticipants felt that they found the workshop verybeneficial, and suggested that there should beannual workshops, perhaps of a slightly shorterduration. They were interested to learn more fromreal-life case studies of actual temples.


Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat Universityvolunteered to serve as the focal point institutionfor the project, which has not been as effective ashoped. As the university is active in the study oflocal traditions, and has a strong institutionalnetwork with the provincial government, variousagencies, local communities including localmonks, they were very well-recommended and

seemed very well-placed. However, it appears thattheir limited staff has not allowed them to fullyserve in their critical role. As a result, the projecthas been greatly delayed, and projectstakeholders have not coalesced yet. Theemergence of the Nakhon Si Thammarat NationalMuseum, the local office of the Fine ArtsDepartment, has provided impetus for the projectactivities to start. With the museum’s closeworking relationship with various temples, this hasallowed for the more active participation of thesangha in the project. However, the museum doesnot have the capacity or the administrative set-upto serve as the local focal point of the project.

2.1.22 Thailand (Nan)

Local focal point:• Mr. Taweesak Seeharaj, Director, Non-

formal Education Centre (CommitteeChairman)

Local organizing committee:• Mr. Taweesak Seeharaj, Director, Non-

formal Education Centre (CommitteeChairman)

• Mr. Namroj Siwanusorn, Mayor, Nan City• Mr. Tawan Sawanan, Nan Civil Society• Ms. Bussakorn Jinacharoen, Head, Nan

National Museum• Mr. Winai Prabripoo, Nan Civil Society• Ms. Nirachara Lohachoti, Nan Civil

Society• Mr. Somjate Wimolkasem, Satrisinan

School (Committee Secretary)• Mr. Wutichai Lohachoti, Nan Civil Society

(Assistant Committee Secretary)• Mrs. Atikan Wimolkasem, Nan

Polytechnic (Assistant CommitteeSecretary)

Sangha committee:• Provincial Governor, Wat Chang Kham

(Committee Chairman)• Phra Khru Siritambhani, District Governor,

Muang District• Phra Khru Wisitnantawuti, Deputy District

Governor, Muang District• Phra Khru Pitakjetiyanan, Wat Phra Thad

Chang Kham• Phra Khru Wisutnantakij, Wat Si Pan

Thon• Phra Khru Kongsin Patrawutito, Wat Nong

Bua, Tawangpa District

Provincial supervisory committee:• Governor, Nan Province (Committee

Chairman)• Deputy Governor, Nan Province• Dr. Boonyong Vongrakmitra, Advisor, Nan

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Civil Society• Dr. Kanit Tantisiriwit, Head of Coordination

Unit, Nan Civil Society• Mr. Narin Lao-araya, President, Provincial

Administration Unit• Second Lieutenant Somdej Apichayakul,

President, Nan Cultural Council• Director, 1st Educational District, Nan

Province• Director, 2nd Educational District, Nan

Province• Director, Fine Arts Department Seventh

Regional Office of Archaeology• Director, Satrisinan School• Dr. Chatri Charoensiri, Nan Civil Society• Mr. Saroj Ratanamas, Director, Nan

Cultural Office (Committee Secretary)• Mr. Pirom Tepsukhon, Head, Nan Province

Local Unit for the Conservation of Naturaland Cultural Environment


The Nan project focuses on four objectives: (i)crafts documentation of local productiontechniques and motifs; (ii) revival within the lay andsangha communities of three local crafts (woodcarving, lacquer and gilding, and molded decorativestucco); (iii) general awareness raising amongstlay and sangha youth about traditional Buddhistarts and (iv) preventative conservation skills withinthe sangha and temple communities.

These objectives correspond with thedocumentation activities and four training curricula,respectively: (1) short crafts revival curriculum, (2)long crafts revival curriculum, (3) preventativeconservation curriculum for temple communitiesand (4) general awareness curriculum for students.


Nan’s first documentation activity focuses ondeveloping a cookbook on traditional productionmethods of the three selected Nan crafts, underthe supervision of Mr. Somjate Wimolkasem ofSatrisinan school, by conducting field research tointerview local master craftspersons. It was foundthat there are very few master craftspersons left inNan — two were interviewed on stucco, and threeon wood carving (most wood carvers nowspecialize in carving wooden boats for Nan’sannual boat race, rather than temple elements).Two of the wood carvers (a master-student team)were subsequently invited to serve as trainers inthe crafts revival workshops. Additional referencesare being provided by a craftsperson expert inLanna (Northern Thai) arts from Chiang Mai. Thisexpert will also provide the techniques for gold-leafdecoration.

The second documentation activity focuses ondeveloping a stylebook, under the supervision ofAssociate Professor ML SurasawasdiSooksawasdi, Dean of the Fine Arts Faculty atChiang Mai University. Fourteen temples in sevendistricts were selected by virtue of the excellentarts and crafts heritage in their possession. Digitalphotographs are being taken, and the distinctiveNan motifs were identified and reproduced as linedrawings in the Adobe Illustrator program.

The third documentation activity focuses ondeveloping an inventory of the Buddhist artifactsand outstanding temple decorative elements at thefourteen selected temples, under the supervision ofthe Nan National Museum. The pilot temple wasWat Chang Kham, a prominent temple with a largeand significant collection where the Nan ProvincialSangha Governor is based. Based on the pilot,the inventory work has been expanded to WatNong Daeng and Wat Ton Laeng. At the minimum,all fourteen temples are targeted for completion bythe end of the project.

The training activities have included the following.Two short training courses (40 hours) in craftsrevival were organized. The first course was heldfrom 28 November – 2 December 2005, with 36trainees (22 monks and novices and 14 lay

35

persons). The second course was conduced from20-24 March 2006, with 36 persons (27 monks andnovices and 9 laypersons connected to 7 temples).The objectives of the course were (i) to raiseawareness about the need to revive traditionalBuddhist arts, (ii) to provide knowledge andfundamental skills on traditional techniques instucco, wood carving and lacquer-gilding, and to(iii) show the links between Nan Buddhist arts andcrafts and those in other Theravada countries.The course met an enthusiastic response. Themost promising trainees were selected forparticipation in the long crafts training course.

The long crafts training course (800 hours total)commenced on 20 May 2006 with the first 300hours (May-August 2006) providing an overallknowledge on Buddhist arts and drafts. Thisincluded topics about Southeast Asian culture andart, Lanna architecture and sculpture, Nan art,drawing, etc. This will be followed by theremaining hours focused on hands-on crafts skills(250 hours) and advanced crafts production (250hours) from October-December 2006. Due to thelength of the course, which was offered on acontinuous basis, this proved to be difficult for thetargeted number of monks from all fourteen prioritytemples to take part. Instead of twenty, a total oftwelve trainees (eleven monks and novices and onelayperson) from eight temples in Nan took part,ranging from 14 to 57 years old, with an averageage of 30. All but one had prior background fromthe short crafts course and are both highlymotivated and talented. The publication of thetraining manual for this course will be useful forfuture training activities.

The training course in preventative conservationwas held from 26-28 June 2006, with participationfrom 38 persons from thirteen temples (11 monksand 15 laypersons). The objective of the coursewas to provide basic information on preventativeconservation, especially to the fourteen prioritytemples. The trainees were mostly highly satisfiedwith the training programme, suggesting that thetraining should be longer and held annually,extended to youth, and include a survey of theinventory work done by the temples. Thepublication of the training manual used in thecourse is the next step, which will also be usefulfor other sites in Cambodia, China and Lao PDR.

Preparations for the final course on generalawareness-raising are being undertaken now, usingmaterials produced by the documentation activitiesof the project. Teachers from 35 secondaryschools throughout the province will take part in aseries of workshops from November 2006 to March2007, which will result in the curriculum and theteaching materials and aids. The curriculum will

be offered with the beginning of the next academicyear in May 2007.


The implementation has been slower thanexpected due to the difficulty in coordinating thevarious project partners, shortage of skilledmasters in serving as trainers, and shortage ofskilled staff in undertaking the project activities.Monks in Nan, as elsewhere in Thailand, aredwindling in number and thus shoulder heavyresponsibilities both inside the temple and in thecommunity. Therefore, their ability to take part invarious activities related to either documentation ortraining – especially those requiring a lot of time —is rather limited. In the future, courses should beorganized in a short format, to allow monks to takepart in concentrated periods over a compressedamount of time.

In terms of a long-term institutional base for theproject, it is apparent that the current structure ofmultiple project partners will be difficult to sustainin the long-run. In particular, expert institutionsfrom outside Nan have provided important guidanceand input in the requisite first phase ofdocumentation and preparation of curricula andtraining materials. However, in the long-term, interms of sustaining training activities and generalawareness-raising, a strong local institution shouldbe identified to serve as the focal point for theactivities in the future. In this regard, given the top-down directive from Mahachulalongkorn Universityfor monks to offer conservation training, it ispossible that the local campus in Nan of theuniversity may take on this role in the future.

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2.2 Project monitoring2.2.1 Monitoring by UNESCO

In order to ensure that project sites are progressing according to their workplans, and that coordinationamong various project partners is smooth, regular UNESCO monitoring has been undertaken in order toprovide on-going technical supervision.

Dates Place of mission Concerned project site(s)

Richard EngelhardtJanuary 2006 Lao PDR ChampasakFebruary 2006 Bhutan ThimphuApril 2006 Bhutan ThimphuMay 2006 Bhutan Thimphu

Ricardo FavisJuly 2005 Nepal KathmanduAugust 2005 Sri Lanka KandyAug-Sept 2005 India SikkimDecember 2005 Thailand NanDecember 2005 Nepal (Lumbini) Kathmandu & Vajrayana sitesJanuary 2006 Lao PDR ChampasakMarch 2006 Sri Lanka KandyMay 2006 India and Bhutan Sikkim and Thimphu

Heather PetersOctober 2006 China (with NWHF) XishuangbannaMay 2007 China Xishuangbanna

Rik PonneSept 2005 Lao PDR ChampasakOct-Nov 2005 Mongolia KharakhorinNov 2005 Lao PDR Luang PrabangNov 2005 Cambodia Phnom PenhDec 2005 Thailand NanJan 2006 Lao PDR ChampasakFeb 2006 Lao PDR BokeoFeb-Mar 2006 Cambodia Phnom Penh, Siem RiepMay-June 2006 Cambodia Phnom Penh, Siem Riep

Montira Horayangura UnakulJuly 2005 Thailand (Chiang Mai) NanOctober 2005 Thailand (with NWHF) NanDecember 2005 Thailand NanNovember 2005 Sri Lanka Kandy/ADB collaborationJanuary 2006 Cambodia Phnom PenhJuly 2006 Thailand Nakhon Si Thammarat

2.2.2 Monitoring by national mentors

Nationally-based project mentors have been activein guiding the project in Cambodia;Xishuangbanna, China; Arunachal Pradesh, India;Kathmandu, Nepal; Mustang, Nepal; and Nan,Thailand. Given the relative paucity of technicalexpertise on-site, the mentors have been able toidentify needed additional resources and

assistance, especially from other sites. With anumber of mentors undertaking visits to multiplesites, this has proved to be a conduit for cross-mentoring.

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2.3 Sub-regionalnetworking2.3.1 Theravada Caucus(Nan, Thailand) December 2005

In the context of UNESCO project ‘Cultural Survivaland Revival in the Buddhist Sangha’, the firstTheravada Caucus was held from 9-10 December2005 at the Non-formal Education Centre in Nan,Thailand. Nine site teams from five countriesparticipated (including Cambodia; Xishuangbanna,China; Kandy, Sri Lanka; Champasak, Bokeo, LuangPrabang, and Savannakhet, Lao PDR; Nakhon SiThammarat and Nan, Thailand), along with resourcepersons from various institutions and representativesfrom UNESCO. Each participating site teamincluded representatives from both the lay and sanghalocal project committees. (See Annexes A, B, andC for the agenda, list of participants and report,respectively.)

The objectives of the Caucus were three-fold: (i) toreview progress of project implementation at differentsites, from which networking opportunities could beidentified, (ii) to share best practices in documentationand training, and (iii) to link the project with sustainabledevelopment programmes.

Given the rich historical linkages and culturalexchanges within the Theravada tradition, theCaucus served as a venue for the differentTheravada sites to exchange lessons learnt,

thereby providing not only knowledge but alsoinspiration for sites to network in the areas ofcrafts documentation and training. The output ofthe caucus were:

• sharing of documentation techniques andmethodologies, such as the use of digitalscanning and generation of motifs;

• sharing of training practices andapproaches, including dying knowledge ofcrafts production and styles;

• establishment of a sub-regional cross-mentoring network among the TheravadaBuddhist sites.

Through an open floor discussion, a number of keyissues regarding the sustainability of the project wereraised regarding the long-term role of monks inconserving temples and Buddhist heritage. Thiscould be firmly established through formalaccreditation in conservation for monks and trainingsenior level monks in making decisions about templerepairs and conservation.

In terms of sustainability of the UNESCO project.Mr. Bounkhong Khutthao of Luang Prabang, Lao PDRposed a question about sustaining the project in thelong-run, including making linkages with tourism.Sangha Hiek Sopheap of Cambodia voiced the sameconcern, and gave his personal suggestion that someof the crafts output from the project implementationcould be sold to visitors, which would generate incometo sustain the project in the long-run. Mr. RicardoFavis explained that UNESCO was not in a financialposition to underwrite them in all project sites.Instead, he called upon relevant government ministries

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to undertake such activities in order raise continuousawareness about the project. Dr. Pibul Jinawath ofSilpakorn University, Thailand concurred andelaborated further that past experience has shownthat when UNESCO has provided support for aconservation activity, it has catalyzed governmentsupport and assistance.

2.3.2 Joint implementation activities planned

In the Mekong sub-region, partially as a result of theconnections established through Theravada caucus,a number of cross-mentoring activities have beenimplemented. This includes the cross-border studytrip undertaken by the Xishuangbanna team to visitThai Lue sites in Thailand and Lao PDR in December2005, and the trip to Xishuangbanna by the Lao PDRteam in July 2006. At the same time, there hasbeen sharing of training materials and forms amongstthe Theravada sites, which share many of the sameartistic traditions within the same religious framework.

In the Himalayan region, cross-mentoring initiativesare being elaborated, for instance within the SakyapaSect. This includes training of monks from Dehradunat the Sikkim project site, thereby allowing for widerdissemination of training knowledge concerningritualistic arts. Furthermore, advocating the projectwith senior monks attending the annual conventionof the Sakyapa Sect in Lumbini, Nepal in December2005, has yielded positive interest, leading to thepreparation of training programmes on ritualistic artsand astrology/horoscope. The engagement of twosub-regional mentors will also allow for the cross-fertilization of successful techniques amongstdifferent sites.

2.4 Developingsynergies withexternal initiatives2.4.1 Sustainable Tourism Developmentin Living Buddhism Areas

Living Buddhism has been identified as one ofthe key themes under the South Asian Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC)Tourism Development Plan (TDP) sponsored bythe Asian Development Bank (ADB). TheSASEC members have agreed that acooperative approach must be taken toheighten awareness of the Living Buddhismattractions and improve the quality of the LivingBuddhist tourism products through marketing,product development and training. Keypilgrimage sites in the sub-region have beentargeted, including sites in Bhutan, India

(Dharamshala, Ladakh, Sikkim, ArunachalPradesh), Nepal (Kathmandu Valley and NepalHimalaya) and Sri Lanka. Human resourcedevelopment of tourism industry personnel atall levels, including those operating at the frontline, like guides, is a key priority under theplan.

In response to related concerns about capacitybuilding within the framework of fosteringsustainable tourism, the UNESCO-ICCROMAsian Academy for Heritage Managementlaunched the regional Cultural HeritageSpecialist Guide Programme in 2005. Theprogramme seeks to raise capacity of theguides; improve heritage interpretation; fostersafeguarding of heritage sites, particularlyWorld Heritage sites; and increase socio-economic benefits for local communitiesthrough-out the Asia-Pacific. This rigorous,practical and internationally-recognized trainingand certification programme is beingimplemented through active partnershipsbetween members of the Asian Academy,training institutions from the UNESCAP AsiaPacific Education and Training Institutes inTourism (APETIT) network and NationalTourism Organizations (NTOs). The Institutefor Tourism Studies serves as the focal pointwith UNESCO providing technical advisory andoversight.

The Cultural Heritage Specialist GuideProgramme includes the following steps:

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• Training of trainers• Customization of the training material

for each country• Training and certification of guides at

World Heritage sites

The Training-the-Trainers Workshop for CulturalHeritage Specialist Guides at UNESCO WorldHeritage Sites was held from 6 – 11 May 2006at the Zhiwaling Hotel in Paro, Bhutan. Theworkshop was organized by the RoyalGovernment of Bhutan in conjunction with theUNESCO-ICCROM Asian Academy forHeritage Management under the framework ofthe ADB-supported Human ResourceDevelopment component of the SASEC TDP.(See Annex D for the workshop executivesummary.)

The workshop brought together 21 participantsfrom the tourism and heritage sectors inBangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and SriLanka, with the majority representing NationalTourism Organizations (NTOs). Participantswere divided into cross-country groups for thepurposes of interactive group work and sub-regional exchange.

The participants were trained in three differentmodules:

• Core module on sustainable tourism atUNESCO World Heritage sites

• Thematic module on Living Buddhism• Site module on two Living Buddhist

heritage sites in Bhutan: Paro Dzongand Drugyel Dzong

UNESCO will liaise with the ADB and SASECinstitutions, in particular NTOs and othertourism training institutions, in order to furtherdevelop the implementation of the programme.In particular, customized training materials,including site-specific modules, will bedeveloped by the focal point institution. Thetraining curriculum, core and sub-regionalmaterials will be updated in response tocomments from the Paro workshop.

The revised materials will be used during thenext training-the-trainers workshop in LuangPrabang, Lao PDR, to be organized in October2006, in conjunction with the Lao NationalTourism Administration under the framework ofthe ADB-sponsored Mekong TourismDevelopment Project. The workshop’sthematic module will also focus on LivingBuddhism, which is a common theme linkingthe Greater Mekong sub-region countries(Cambodia, China [Guangxi and Yunnan], LaoPDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam).

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... awareness-raising aboutdying or lost crafts;

development of curriculafor educational institutions

for monks concerningheritage conservation andmanagement; and training

of monks and decisionmakers should help to

ensure the revival of theliving Buddhist practices in

these sites ...

Download - UNESCO - Cultural Survival and Revival in the Buddhist Sangha [2006]

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