The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan [Hardcover]

From the moment my husband and I set foot on the tarmac of the Paro airport in Bhutan, we knew we weren't, as Dorothy says to her little dog, in Kansas any more! With each step we took, we discovered more that drew us to the conclusion that Bhutan is like a shining jewel set in the Himalayas, inhabited by kind and colorful people. Since Buddhism is the nation's religion it is not surprising that its art has traditionally focused on the monastic centers of this enchanting kingdom -- the Land of the Thunder Dragon. This book is primarily the catalogue for an exhibition of Bhutan's Buddhist art, which was launched in Honolulu by the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and which will travel to New York this summer and on to San Francisco next year. What makes this book as absolutely stunning as the country from which it sprung is the fact that the majority of the art in the exhibition and book was borrowed from among Bhutan's 2000 monasteries and temples. What makes the book even more stunning is the fact that if one visits the Punacha Dzong, the source of several of these art treasures, one would not see these objects. They are so sacred and so treasured by their Buddhist caretakers that these statues and thonkas (sacred tapestries) are usually locked away and are rarely, if ever, on public display. What also makes this book impressive are the 12 essays which introduce the collection. These essays explain how the exhibition came about; explain how the sacred items were chosen and retrieved from mountain monasteries most of which are reached only by foot path; explain the religious significance and history of the chosen items; and explain how Bhutan's religious and governmental officials have teamed with the Honolulu Academy of Arts and others to develop a program to conserve and repair Bhutan's sacred items, especially the thonkas. I poured over the essays and learned much of the country's religious history. If the magnificent photographs and essays were not enough, the book comes with a CD focusing on cham -- dance and the substantial role it plays in the lives of the Bhutanese. Having been privileged to see several different dances at different monasteries -- masked monk dances, laymen's dance and traditional women's line dancing, before I read a word, I played the CD. To have tried to do justice to Bhutan's sacred art without including cham would have left a great hole in the story of this kingdom's art. My only disappointment was that there was not more. I wanted more CDs with more dances. I wanted pictures of the monasteries where the dances take place. I simply wanted more Bhutan! The dances are enthralling and the CD is not only entertaining but also is instructive! My hat is off to the Bhutanese royal family, Bhutan's government, Bhutan's monk body, and to the scholars at the Honolulu Academy of Art for undertaking this momentous project. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this wonderful, beautiful and informative book. We can't wait to see the exhibition and, of course, to return to the Land of the Thunder Dragon!

This is an exceptional book with very beautiful full-page, glorious full color images of the sacred arts of Bhutan. It is the next best thing to seeing the art 'live', as it was presented first in an exhibit in Honolulu and then in New York at the Ruben Museum of Art.

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