Articles by Federica Venturi
Revue d'Études Tibétaines, 2023
This paper describes the three surviving manuscripts of the Tibetan-Italian and Italian-Tibetan d... more This paper describes the three surviving manuscripts of the Tibetan-Italian and Italian-Tibetan dictionary compiled by Fr. Francesco Orazio della Penna (1680–1745). This set is the first bilingual dictionary ever written of the Tibetan into a modern western language, and has never been studied before. This article provides a preliminary description, a history of the manuscripts, and an assessment of their importance for the study of the history of Tibet in the first half of the 18th century, as well as for the study of one of the earliest encounters between Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism.
Annali di Ca' Foscari. Serie Orientale, 2021
Although the government established through the alliance of the Gélukpa (Dge lugs pa) and the Kho... more Although the government established through the alliance of the Gélukpa (Dge lugs pa) and the Khoshud in 1642 took its appellation from the Ganden Palace (Dga' ldan pho brang/Ganden Phodrang) at Drepung ('Bras spung), the symbolic seat of power of this government was the Potala, at the same time fortress, administrative centre, earthly copy of the celestial palace of Avalokiteśvara, and official residence of the Fifth Dalai Lama. Less known, however, is that the Potala also came to symbolise military readiness. It acquired this new martial function in 1667, when an armoury, called Dorjéling (Rdo rje gling), was set up at the base of the White Palace. The Fifth Dalai Lama memorialised its establishment with a poetic text, which is included in volume nineteen (ma) of his collected works. This paper examines this text, which provides information both on the contents of the armoury and on the logic employed to justify the creation of spaces dedicated to military preparedness within a palace that was fast becoming one of the most revered sites in the Tibetan sphere.
Wind Horses. Tibetan, Himalayan and Mongolian Studies, 2019
By observing the relationship between the Fifth Dalai Lama
(1617–1682) and Dga’ ldan tshe dbang d... more By observing the relationship between the Fifth Dalai Lama
(1617–1682) and Dga’ ldan tshe dbang dpal bzang po (d.1687), the general of the troops of the Dga’ ldan pho brang that waged war against the kingdom of Ladakh between 1679 and 1684, this study examines the lead to this conflict, with a particular focus on the theoretical and practical devices used to justify the use of violence,
antithetical to Buddist principles, for political reasons.
Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines, 2020
During the first period of its establishment, the dGa’ ldan pho brang engaged in numerous wars, b... more During the first period of its establishment, the dGa’ ldan pho brang engaged in numerous wars, both to quell internal turmoil and to confront neighboring powers that were perceived as threatening. These conflicts often saw the engagement of Mongol troops alongside Tibetan soldiers, and the employment of Tibetan and Mongol generals alike, sometimes working in conjunction. Trough the use of sources composed at the same time as or not long after these conflicts, such as the autobiography of the Fifth Dalai Lama and the Mi dbang rtogs brjod, the proposed paper will examine questions related to the amalgamation of these different armies, briefly illustrating historical examples of their collaboration and especially considering the questions of whether dGe lugs pa hierarchs, and the Fifth Dalai Lama in particular, expressed a preference toward utilizing one or the other, or displayed an awareness of how the two worked in conjunction.
Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines Perspectives on Tibetan Culture, 2019
The translation of a rare gnas yig to Pretapurī, one of the holy places in the pilgrimage circuit... more The translation of a rare gnas yig to Pretapurī, one of the holy places in the pilgrimage circuit around mount Kailasa. Photographs illustrate the text of the gnas yig and its translation is accompanied by an article expanding on the history and relevance of Pretapurī.
Cahiers d'Extreme Asie, 2018
This article illustrates the various instances in which military force was employed during the re... more This article illustrates the various instances in which military force was employed during the reign of the Fifth Dalai Lama (1642-1682) on the basis of sources such as the Du ku la'i gos bzang, the autobiographical diary of the Fifth Dalai Lama, and the Mi dbang rtogs brjod, the biography of Polhané (1689-1747). These texts are especially useful as they provide information on how the nascent government of the Ganden Phodrang confronted the dilemma of how to sanction activities of war within a Buddhist framework. They include evidence on the awareness and participation of the Fifth Dalai Lama in assessments that concerned military affairs, including decisions that could potentially affect the course of conflicts.
Thus, through an analysis of these sources, it is possible to ascertain both the actual participation in military decisions of the Dalai Lama and the high monastic levels of the government administration and the general ideological discourse around war activities. In addition, these texts provide some specific details on armed clashes, such as number and geographical provenance of soldiers. Although possibly exaggerated and partisan, this data may be useful in beginning to render a tentative sketch of the original apperance of the troops employed by the Ganden Phodrang.
Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, 2018
in Travers, Alice and Venturi, Federica (eds), Buddhism and the Military in Tibet during the Ganden Phodrang period (1642-1959), Numéro spécial des Cahiers d’Extrême-Asie, EFEO, 2018
Fifteenth Century Tibet: Cultural Blossoming and Political Unrest, 2017
Rivista degli Studi Orientali, 2016
This paper examines the anecdote according to which the temple of Gye re was employed as a model ... more This paper examines the anecdote according to which the temple of Gye re was employed as a model for the construction of the Lha khang chen mo at Sa skya. While this story is found in numerous sources, including the Sa skya dkar chag, the Sa skya gdung rabs, the rGya Bod yig tshang and the Chronicles of the V Dalai Lama, its details are often confusing and contradictory, in part also because of the extremely clipped use of the Tibetan language in the texts. Through a closer analysis and comparison of the sources available, this paper will attempt to determine in which way Gye re served as a model for the Lha khang chen mo, especially given the fact that the temple of Gye re is not extant anymore and that seemingly no photographic records of it have survived.
Tibet und Buddhismus, 2015
Trails of the Tibetan Tradition. Papers for Elliot Sperling (edited by Roberto Vitali)., 2014
Tibetan Art and Architecture in Context, 2010
the dkar chag of sakya is the main source of a dissertation in progress by the author of this pap... more the dkar chag of sakya is the main source of a dissertation in progress by the author of this paper. it is preserved in manuscript form in the tucci collection of the istituto italiano per l'africa e l' oriente (is.i.a.o.) in Rome, italy. its full title is Gdan sa chen po dpal ldan Sa skya gtsug lag khang dang rten gsum gyi dkar chag (hereafter abbreviated as Sa skya dkar chag). a brief catalogue chart on this text can be found in Filibeck 2003: 358. Both the dkar chag and the photographs which form the basis of this paper have been kindly put at my disposal by is.i.a.o. in particular
Journal of Asian History, 2008
Edited Volumes by Federica Venturi
Rivista degli Studi Orientali, 2016
Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines, 2019
Annali di Ca' Foscari, 2021
This special issue of Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale gathers scholars from various discip... more This special issue of Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale gathers scholars from various disciplines (history, art history, philology, Mongol studies and arms and armour specialists), in order to spur dialogue on the development and history of Tibetan weapons, and add new avenues of research on this topic, in the footsteps of the pioneering 2006 exhibition Warriors of the Himalaya (Metropolitan Museum of Art). Initially based on a workshop entitled Defence and Offence: Armour and Weapons in Tibetan Culture, organised in 2019 in Paris in the framework of the ERC-funded project The Tibetan Army of the Dalai Lamas, 1642-1959, this monographic issue starts from the observation that the theory of the ‘military revolution’, which for more than half a century has stimulated a reassessment of pre-modern and early modern European history, is still completely untested in the field of Tibetan studies. In particular, the impact of firearms innovation on the evolution of society has not been made for Tibet. The issue endeavours to build the ‘first missing link’ that would allow further analysis on this topic, by proposing five studies documenting the great diversity of weapon technology (and their corresponding terminology) that were used in Tibet, from the bow and arrow in the 7th century to the machine gun in the 20th century, by way of the famous Tibetan matchlock. Based on a great diversity of sources (material, visual and textual, such as archival, historiographical, biographical and autobiographical), the five chapters, authored by Donald La Rocca, Petra Maurer, Tashi Tsering Josayma, Federica Venturi and Alice Travers (with an additional preface by Johan Elverskog) answer, from a variety of perspectives and chronological angles, the following questions: which weapons did the Tibetan use, where did they come from, when were they used, in which circumstances, and what influence did they have on Tibetan society and history?
Special Issue of the Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, 244 p., 2018
Open Access: https://www.persee.fr/issue/asie_0766-1177_2018_num_27_1
Monographs by Federica Venturi
Invited Presentations by Federica Venturi
The existence of a military apparatus within the ecclesiastical government of the dGa’ ldan pho b... more The existence of a military apparatus within the ecclesiastical government of the dGa’ ldan pho brang, controlled by religious hierarchs, reveals a dichotomy between an administration in theory committed to Buddhist values but in practice often pressed by concerns of realpolitik. In fact, on several occasions in its three-hundred year history, the government of the Dalai Lamas and the dGe lugs pa hierarchy have had to contend with adverse situations that spurred them to utilize, support or otherwise involve the Tibetan army. While the XIII Dalai Lama (1876-1933) may be the ecclesiastical figure whose support for the army is universally recognized, other hierarchs who preceded him also found ways to reconcile their religious beliefs with the necessity to solve impelling practical questions. This talk aims at illustrating some of the historical situations that required the involvement in military matters of dGe lugs pa hierarchs, and the conceptual discourses employed by them to justify and promote the use of the army.
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Articles by Federica Venturi
(1617–1682) and Dga’ ldan tshe dbang dpal bzang po (d.1687), the general of the troops of the Dga’ ldan pho brang that waged war against the kingdom of Ladakh between 1679 and 1684, this study examines the lead to this conflict, with a particular focus on the theoretical and practical devices used to justify the use of violence,
antithetical to Buddist principles, for political reasons.
Thus, through an analysis of these sources, it is possible to ascertain both the actual participation in military decisions of the Dalai Lama and the high monastic levels of the government administration and the general ideological discourse around war activities. In addition, these texts provide some specific details on armed clashes, such as number and geographical provenance of soldiers. Although possibly exaggerated and partisan, this data may be useful in beginning to render a tentative sketch of the original apperance of the troops employed by the Ganden Phodrang.
Edited Volumes by Federica Venturi
Monographs by Federica Venturi
Invited Presentations by Federica Venturi
(1617–1682) and Dga’ ldan tshe dbang dpal bzang po (d.1687), the general of the troops of the Dga’ ldan pho brang that waged war against the kingdom of Ladakh between 1679 and 1684, this study examines the lead to this conflict, with a particular focus on the theoretical and practical devices used to justify the use of violence,
antithetical to Buddist principles, for political reasons.
Thus, through an analysis of these sources, it is possible to ascertain both the actual participation in military decisions of the Dalai Lama and the high monastic levels of the government administration and the general ideological discourse around war activities. In addition, these texts provide some specific details on armed clashes, such as number and geographical provenance of soldiers. Although possibly exaggerated and partisan, this data may be useful in beginning to render a tentative sketch of the original apperance of the troops employed by the Ganden Phodrang.