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Content
Within the range of activity of the Achi Association fall first and foremost a number of temples in Ladakh selected on the strength of their artistic and historical value, age, state of conservation and architectural and artistic consistency. Large conglomerates like Lamayuru and Phyang are not primary targets of Achi’s efforts, as their structures are heterogeneous and have been modified and rebuilt in similar shape over the centuries right up to the present day in a way such that it is difficult to define consistent parts of remarkable age and artistic integrity.
2007
The team of painting conservators concentrated the work on the Kanji temple conservation. The conservation of the paintings could nearly be finished. Additionally some necessary conservation work on the exterior paintings and some maintenance work on the architecture have been executed. Then, the team has worked on the graphic and the photographic documentation of the paintings. Konchok Norbu did not execute work this year.
In the Wanla temple the team proceeded with the cleaning of the paintings on ground floor level, controlled the last years work on the main beam, did the mapping of urgent conservation tasks in the lantern and worked on a better solution for the closure of the lantern window.
Fundraising and project planning of the education project are going on.
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2006
In Kanji conservation work was continued on south and east walls, again with the collaboration of Konchok Norbu, Thangka-painter and school teacher in Kanji. The team was joint by Joyoti Roy, Susanne Bosch, Sven Trommer and the student Philipp Schubert who spent his practical term with the teams in Kanji and Wanla. Also Gerold Ahrends, a restorer specifically trained in conservation of wood, joined the team for the first time. He assessed the condition of the wooden elements in the architecture of Wanla and Kanji, which in both places is of fairly good condition. His investigations also revealed the remnants of paintings on the pillars and beams of the Kanji temple. The heavy layers covering the wooden veranda, although covering part of the exquisite carvings, certainly have contributed to preserve them. A restoration of the wooden elements is certainly desirable, but has, for the time being, no particular urgency. The new roof added late 2005 resisted the catastrophic rainfalls of this summer well.
In Wanla restoration work were continued on gallery level, south wall. To continue the work on the roof, Wolfgang Heusgen was joined by the civil engineer Ronald Pabel. Finally the roof above the back of the temple was opened up deep enough to fully reveal its structure and the construction of the wall resting on the main beam on gallery level. It turned out, that the roof above the main apse is a double one with a considerable hollow in between. However, the upper roof has collapsed due to its load and partly fills the original hollow. Further, a stone wall rests on the broken main beam with the painted surface on one side, its weight may be the main cause for the damage of the beam. Further, Wolfgang and Ronald also restored the roof sections to the sides of the lantern. The final roof section needs to be restored as part of a major conservation work addressing the problem of the broken main beam.
Andreas Küng returned to the sites to complement and complete his analyses of the previous year.
The training of local clergy and population in maintenance skills has been from the beginning on a part of our program. A meeting in February defined how to proceed. The architect Ernesto Noriega has been invited to produce a project for the schooling of young people in elementary maintenance skills. He visited Ladakh after the completion of his project in the company of the German social geographer, Dr. Verena Knippel. The result of this trip was a revised version of Ernesto’s project, including Verena’s particular expertise.
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2005
The painting conservation team was joined by Kamila Markov. In Kanji the conservation measures were continued on the south and west walls. Over winter, a serious leakage on the south side of the roof, apparently caused by frozen water within the spout, resulted in additional damages to the 200-300 cm2 of the south wall murals at a spot that saw serious damages before. Consequently a special effort was necessary to secure this section. The three sculptures were dry-cleaned and it was undertaken an investigation of their painting technology and state of conservation. For the first time, a local artist joined the team in Kanji, the school teacher and fully trained Thangka painter Konchok Norbu. His knowledge of traditional colours and technologies has been considered of great interest. Due to the leakage the construction of the second roof was decided as a temporary protective measure. John Harrison took care of the works in September–October.
In Wanla the restoration team continued the cleaning measures on the north wall, did major conservation measures and first cleaning of the paintings along the main beam on gallery level. Wolfgang Heusgen began restoration work on the roof removing access load. For about one third of the roof’s surface old mud layers where removed and one layer newly rebuilt, resulting in a lower roof level and a considerable reduction of the roof load. To prevent leakages along the walls Sarnafil impermeable sheets where used along the edge of the roof.
Mauro Bertagnin, supposed to lead an intervention in Skurbuchen aiming at improving the foundations and solidifying the joint between the elder stone walls and the newer mud brick structure, had to abandon his plans because of severe health problems due to high altitude.
The restorers were accompanied by Andreas Küng of the “Expert Centre for Monument Conservation” at the Federal Polytechnic School (ETH) Zürich. With a microscope brought along, he analysed the pigments, layers and other surface effects.
Sponsored mainly by a member of the patronage committee, the young Czech-Swiss director Vladimír Jedlička accompanied the team in July and August to film for a short feature meant as an introduction to the association’s work. This feature is intended to inform in a quick and interesting way potential sponsors and collaborators.
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2004
The architects Mauro Bertagnin, John Harrison, Wolfgang Heusgen and Holger Neuwirth opened a small portion of the roof of Wanla Temple (along the back of the lantern) in order to study the different layers and their history and the parts of the structure supporting the roof not visible from the inside. The results of this investigation should enable them to prepare plans for the lightening and securing of the roof respecting the development into its actual shape. Mauro Bertagnin and John Harrison started preparing an intervention at Skurbuchen castle by deepening the analysis begun the previous year and filling certain gaps in the wall.
They visited Kanji too, where last year a small water leakage had been reported. Mauro Bertagnin found its cause, he and John Harrison took care of the necessary measures. John Harrison surveyed two hitherto unknown Drikung temples in remote places, Urbis and Potoksar, and stayed in Drangtse in order to prepare complete and accurate drawings of the so called Old Temple.
The team of painting conservators was joined by Yvonné Erdmann, Bernadette Mannuss, Yvonne Mohr, Heike Pfund and Alexandra Skedzuhn. This allowed the team to split into two groups working simultaneously in Kanji and Wanla. In Kanji, the conservators went on cleaning the paintings. In Wanla, much emphasis was put on tightening and securing the loose plaster parts and building supports in order to prevent portions of the frescoes which could possibly detach themselves from the wall from falling to the ground and go irremediably lost. The cleaning of the main beam under the roof in front of the apse brought surprising results.
The Patronage Committee started its activities. It meets 2-3 times a year, gives its advice on subjects concening general subjects, fund-raising and PR-activities, and reports on the attempts made in finding further support for Achi’s activities.
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2003
The restorers, Martina Oeter, Barbara Sedlaczek and Steven Post continued working in Kanji. They found the proof, that further parts of the paintings on the outer wall discovered in 2001 must still be lying under the plaster. They also discovered an unsuspected painted layer (schematically coloured bands) at the bottom of the walls. Apart from the further cleaning and securing of the wall paintings, they attempted for the first time to prudently redraw missing parts of recurring patterns and to complete, under the guidance of art historian Christian Luczanits, the missing parts of the central figure of one of the mandalas. For this purpose they used the so called „selezione cromatica“ or „tratteggio“ technique, in order to achieve a reconstruction of the impression given by the paintings in their original form but still maintaining a visible and unmistakable distinction between original paintings and reconstructed parts.
In Wanla, the architects John Harrison and Hilde Vets and the undergraduate student of architecture Nicole Klaesener started a thorough analysis of the foundations and the overall condition of the walls. They found that the temple is resting fully on solid rock, and not, as previously suspected, partially on manmade stone supports, and that some of the threateningly looking cracks in the lower parts of the walls must have remained unchanged for centuries, strengthening so the theory that most of the structural problems of the temple must originate rom the roof, and possibly the intermediate gallery.
The opening of the roof itself has been retarded by an unexpected problem . The villagers had started building two small erections, a lamp-house and a room for the custodian monk, between the temple and the monks’ house, severely affecting the unique silhouette of the Wanla temple complex on top of the ridge. The architects decided to give priority to preventing that, and lead the villagers into levelling the constructions they had begun and building them instead in a discreet corner of the rocky surrounding of the temple.
For the first time, Prof. Dr. Mauro Bertagnin joined the team working in Ladakh. He surveyed in the company of John Harrison, Lama Konchok Phandey and Edoardo Zentner the majority of sites observed by the Achi association. Prof. Bertagnin teaches architecture and technology of construction with natural elements at Udine University, and is member of CraTerre During a brief stay in Skurpuchen, they observed the castle, a building probably dating back to the 16/17th c., but extended and adapted during the 19th. c. and showing cracks wich led the villagers into fearing a partial collapse. They decided to make further investigations and possibly prepare an intervention the following year.
The Board of the Association has been restructured, introducing Prof. Dr. Mauro Bertagnin into the Board and nominating Edoardo Zentner as its Vice-President.
Prof. Dr. Georg Moersch, director of the Institute for Conservation of Monuments at the Federal Polytechnical school in Zurich decided generously to assist as an advisor the Achi Association with his methodological skills and vast experience.
Charles and Anneke Zijderveldt created a Patronage Committee who should begin to be operative in 2004 and whose task should be to foster the network around Achi.
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2002
Anneke and Charles Zijderveldt joined the project, putting their many years of experience in project management, PR and fundraising at the disposal of the Association. Anneke Zijderveldt has become a member of the Board, assuming the responsibilities connected with fundraising and relations with a non-specialized public.
In May and June 2002 John Harrison undertook the architectural the restoration of the Kanji temple. The conservation measures included the extension of the foundation around the building, the repair of damaged wall sections, a complete replacement of the roof and a slight raise of the central pillar.
Due to lack of sufficient funding in time the painting restoration could not be continue this year, but the documentation of the measures in 2001 was completed.
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2001
Due to organizational problems the architectural restoration of Kanji had to be postponed. Anuradha Chaturvedi and Sweena Berry, who originally intended to restore the temple and even made a preliminary visit, sadly withdrew from the project before commencing the actual restoration work.
In July a painting restoration team consisting of Barbara Sedlaczek, Alexandra Stajkoski, and Katja Piech worked on Kanji and the Guru Lhakhang at Phyang, mainly focusing on different exemplary degrees of damage.
In Kanji they worked on three areas displaying different types and degrees of damage. Above the door they were able to uncover a good deal of poorly preserved original painting that was not previously visible. To the left of the door they worked on the right section of the mandala, completing the gate and other decoration after cleaning and consolidation. On the left hand wall they worked on the left mandala, particularly on the badly damaged bottom section. On the outside wall, to the left of the entrance, they uncovered a quite well-preserved section of more or less contemporary painting in a slightly different style showing an image of Manjushri.
At Phyang they worked along the water-damaged section on the left-hand wall. The techniques and materials used at the two monuments are so different that completely different materials have to be used for all aspects of the conservation.
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2000
In spring 2000 Kanji was briefly visited by Holger Neuwirth, Wolfgang Heusgen, Gerald Kozicz (architects) and Christian Luczanits (art historian) and its documentation continued. In autumn 2000 the painting conservators Martina Oeter, Barbara Sedlaczek and Steven Post and the architect John Harrison visited Kanji again to survey the condition of the paintings and test different conservation methods. These studies enabled the finalization of a conservation plan for the Kanji temple and its murals. The work will begin in summer 2001 with the architectural consolidation of the building. The restoration of the paintings, which should continue for a further 3-4 years (due to the brief working span allowed by the short Ladakhi summers), can begin immediately after the architecture has been secured (> Kanji Conservation).
John Harrison visited Wanla again and was able to clarify an important question regarding the weight of the roof. He also conducted architectural surveys of Bodkharbu and Skurbuchen.
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1999
In the early summer of 1999 Mr. Behl ‘restored’ the architecture of the Wanla Avalokiteshvara temple without solving its fundamental structural problems (> The Restoration of the Wanla Temple (bCu-gcig-zhal), Summer 1999).
In September 1999 Edoardo Zentner, John Harrison (architect) and Deborah E. Klimburg-Salter (art historian) visited Phyang and Wanla again to monitor the restoration carried out. They further surveyed the Drikung monuments of Kanji, Kanji Lhachuse, Bodkharbu, Skurbuchen, Lehdo, Shara and Tangtse. John Harrison has written a short informal report on the architecture of these buildings.
With Wanla having just been restored and the small Kanji Temple found to be in immediate danger (one wall has separated from the others) it was decided to take the Kanji Tsug-lag-kang as the new starting point for conservation operations.
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1998
In an initial architectural and art-historical survey the Guru Lhakhang of Phyang, the Senge Lhakhang of Lamayuru, the Avalokiteshvara Temple at Wanla and the temple in Sumda Chung were visited by Holger Neuwirth, Wolfgang Heusgen (architects) and Christian Luczanits (art historian).
 The Wanla temple
Of the buildings surveyed the Wanla temple was considered a priority for immediate conservation measures. The architecture of the Guru Lhakhang in Phyiang was found to have been cosmetically restored by a Mr Benoy K. Behl only a month before our visit (> The Restoration of the Guru Lhakhang at Phyang, Summer 1998). The Senge Lhakhang was restored in the early 1980s but its murals are today in extremely poor condition. For each of the monuments visited an informal short report on its condition and necessary conservation measures was generated.
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