The "archive" belonging to an active Buchen household/lineage in the Pin Valley of Himachal Pradesh, headed by Padma Thondup. All the materials in the archive are kept within the prayer room of the house and include religious scroll paintings (thangka) often illustrating a particular story (namthar thangka); the elaborate costume of a head Buchen; musical instruments; statues; and other religious, ritual and performance-related items. Buchen are actors, storytellers, exorcists and occasional healers. They are lay religious practitioners whose role is to spread the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) often through entertainment. 3 Series : Texts, Thangkas and Other Objects.
The material is owned by Meme Padma Tandup. The older material has been handed down, the newer material has been purchased in the last fifteen years. All the materials in the archive are kept within the prayer room of the house. This was not seen: materials were brought out into the living room to be surveyed and documented.
