Pemba Dorje, late statue-making master
Pemba Dorje was born in the province of Tsang in Southern Tibet in 1930 in an area known for its unique tradition in statue making. As a child, he fashioned images of clay and mud while watching his family’s herds. At fourteen, he enrolled as apprentice to a local master. His area’s tradition was such that each artist was taught all the aspects of the art, from drawing to hammering copper plates into shape to assembling the completed pieces. In other areas, sculpture was thought to be an art that contained five sub-skills, and artists strove to master just one or two of these. Thus, the work of constructing a statue was usually a project that required several different masters. A tradition that trained artists in all of these skills was a rare gem.
As a young man, Pemba Dorje participated in many projects in Tibet. When he was about 20 years old, a private chamber was created for HH the Dalai Lama in the Tsuglagkhang in Lhasa. When His Holiness the Dalai Lama entered his eighth year, he commissioned an order of 1000 statues of Amitayus, White Tara and Vijaya, the trinity of long life bestowing deities to be installed in the chamber. Pemba Dorje worked with the team completing these, and they were presented to the Dalai Lama during a long life offering. Pemba Dorje also took part in projects at the principal Bönpo monasteries in Central Tibet, Menri and Yungdrung ling, to make two colossal statues as well as many large statues commissioned by monasteries and private families including Yamantaka, Heruka and Guhyasamaja.
In 1959, Pemba Dorje fled to India following the Tibetan uprising in Lhasa. He settled in Dharamsala and was soon back at work, bestowed with the task of building three large statues in the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamsala, the spiritual center of Tibetans in exile. In the late 70’s, he began a training center for metal sculpture, training 21 young boys in a curriculum that was to last 12 years. In 1973, His Holiness the Dalai Lama appointed Pemba Dorje as Tibet’s master statue maker, an enormous honor, following a tradition of guilds established by the 7th Dalai Lama.
In 1994, Pemba Dorje’s team joined Norbulingka Institute. His first work was the 14ft gilded Buddha statue that adorns Norbulingka’s temple, the Deden Tsuklhakhang. Assisted by his students, he built many more statues of various sizes,
which can be seen in temples throughout India or in private collections abroad. Pemba Dorje’s contribution to the preservation of his unique tradition of statue making cannot be overstated. He was one of three remaining artists of his kind able to make and assemble statues of all sizes. Of these three, he was the only who passed on the tradition in its complete form to his best disciples, youths he had trained since their childhood and who now run the workshop at Norbulingka, passing on their art to yet another generation of artists. Because Pemba Dorje's contemporaries did not pass on their skill, the tradition practiced and taught at Norbulingka is unique in all the world, and with this great gift comes a great responsibility to carry it on.
In addition to Pemba Dorje's creation of many exceptional works of art and whole-hearted dedication to his students, he authored two extensively researched and prepared books detailing his tradition of statue-making, ensuring that it would survive. Over his time at Norbulingka, he also created hundreds of designs detailing different aspect of deities and their ornaments, and this collection of drawings we consider to be one of the greatest treasures of our workshop.
Pemba Dorje passed away in 2011, and his work continues on in a seamless way. Tseten Dhondup, his most senior disciple now heads the Norbulingka workshop.
As a young man, Pemba Dorje participated in many projects in Tibet. When he was about 20 years old, a private chamber was created for HH the Dalai Lama in the Tsuglagkhang in Lhasa. When His Holiness the Dalai Lama entered his eighth year, he commissioned an order of 1000 statues of Amitayus, White Tara and Vijaya, the trinity of long life bestowing deities to be installed in the chamber. Pemba Dorje worked with the team completing these, and they were presented to the Dalai Lama during a long life offering. Pemba Dorje also took part in projects at the principal Bönpo monasteries in Central Tibet, Menri and Yungdrung ling, to make two colossal statues as well as many large statues commissioned by monasteries and private families including Yamantaka, Heruka and Guhyasamaja.
In 1959, Pemba Dorje fled to India following the Tibetan uprising in Lhasa. He settled in Dharamsala and was soon back at work, bestowed with the task of building three large statues in the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamsala, the spiritual center of Tibetans in exile. In the late 70’s, he began a training center for metal sculpture, training 21 young boys in a curriculum that was to last 12 years. In 1973, His Holiness the Dalai Lama appointed Pemba Dorje as Tibet’s master statue maker, an enormous honor, following a tradition of guilds established by the 7th Dalai Lama.
In 1994, Pemba Dorje’s team joined Norbulingka Institute. His first work was the 14ft gilded Buddha statue that adorns Norbulingka’s temple, the Deden Tsuklhakhang. Assisted by his students, he built many more statues of various sizes,
which can be seen in temples throughout India or in private collections abroad. Pemba Dorje’s contribution to the preservation of his unique tradition of statue making cannot be overstated. He was one of three remaining artists of his kind able to make and assemble statues of all sizes. Of these three, he was the only who passed on the tradition in its complete form to his best disciples, youths he had trained since their childhood and who now run the workshop at Norbulingka, passing on their art to yet another generation of artists. Because Pemba Dorje's contemporaries did not pass on their skill, the tradition practiced and taught at Norbulingka is unique in all the world, and with this great gift comes a great responsibility to carry it on.
In addition to Pemba Dorje's creation of many exceptional works of art and whole-hearted dedication to his students, he authored two extensively researched and prepared books detailing his tradition of statue-making, ensuring that it would survive. Over his time at Norbulingka, he also created hundreds of designs detailing different aspect of deities and their ornaments, and this collection of drawings we consider to be one of the greatest treasures of our workshop.
Pemba Dorje passed away in 2011, and his work continues on in a seamless way. Tseten Dhondup, his most senior disciple now heads the Norbulingka workshop.
|
|
