3 - In Dependence to the State: A Study of Buddhist Monasteries in the Western Himalayas

As the modernising state has deepened its roots in the Himalayan regions, the consequences of development have been varied. One of the resources which have helped Himalayan people negotiate the modern nation-state, particularly in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, have been their traditional religious institutions. This paper looks at Spiti – a sparsely populated, frontier region between India, Western Tibet and Ladakh – and its five Buddhist monasteries to understand how these have provided leverage and protection, while at the same time themselves changing radically to remain relevant in a political and moral economy transformed by the developmental works of the modernising state. Each of the monasteries of Tabo, Kungri, Dhankar, Komic, and Key have seen major changes in their ideologies and practices over the past few decades, often directly heeding demands of modernisation from their lay communities. Some of these monasteries have pushed change, others have been pulled along hesitantly. In either case, this has led to a fundamental modification of the symbiotic relationship between these monasteries and their lay communities, with the former now dependent on the state and international actors. Yet, it is a dependence that allows their lay communities a measure of independence of agency.