Per K. Sørensen and Guntram Hazod (in cooperation with Tsering Gyalbo), Rulers on the Celestial Plain. Ecclesiastical and Secular Hegemony in Medieval Tibet. A Study of Tshal Gung-thang

Sørensen and Hazod’s twofold volume provides a detailed account in the first place of the history of the warlord and yogin Bla ma Zhang (1123-1193) and of his political legacy, and furthermore of the sKyid shod region to which Lhasa belongs. In that respect it represents the first historical study of the region of Lhasa, providing a wealth of new information about its sacred environment, and explaining even how flooding played a decisive role in shaping the policy of hegemony and rule around it. In particular, the book shows how the two most ancient and venerated temples in Lhasa, the Jo khang and the Ra mo che, linking the Buddhist tradition of Tibet to its great monarchic past, were placed under the special protection and management of the Tshal polity. The volume taken into consideration in this review is remarkable in its encyclopaedic conception and represents an important tessera in the mosaic of Tibetan history as well as a cornerstone for further studies. It is bound to represent the only reference work on the history of the sKyid shod region and of the Lhasa area for years to come, and hopefully to pave the way to new research by specialists in the field, finally enabling us to map out a history of Tibet based on a better knowledge of its local history.