Bøker av Alex McKay

Using multiple sources, including fieldwork, Alex McKay describes how the early Indic vision of a heavenly mountain named Kailas became identified with actual mountains.

Kailas Histories demonstrates how British colonial, Hindu modernist, and New Age interests synthesised historically diverse representations to construct the understanding of Tibet's great pilgrimage centre Mount Kailas - and India's Gangotri - as ancient sacred sites embodying a universal sacrality.

Along with key documents and treaties, the book includes wide-ranging contributions from more than 70 scholars, reflecting contemporary scholarship and illustrating the development of our knowledge of Tibetan history.

In this work, scholars discuss historical and contemporary aspects of pilgrimage within the Tibetan cultural world. The book covers such areas as myths and legends, material conditions, textual sources, a modern pilgrim's impressions, and political and economic influences.