Presentation by Balázs Irimiás and Olga Nagy at Sokszem Foundation. >>>

2009 was the year when we did our best to turn this project from an enthusiastic enterprise into a legal entity. The enthusiasm and our core activities remained, the registration is still hanging. >>>

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Saving Csoma’s Room

The building itself is built on a massive rock base. The lower two stories are built of stone, the third storey is adobe brick.

In the remote monastery of Himalayan Zangla, Alexander Csoma de Körös a pioneer in Tibetan linguistics became famous as the author of the Tibetan-English dictionary and Tibetan grammar book. His room, identified by Baktay and the neighboring shrine full of valuable relics are about to collapse.

The building itself is built on a massive rock base. The lower two stories are built of stone, the third story is adobe. Since the building has been abandoned for decades, the leaking roof has split the walls and made holes on the building.

The building can be saved and preserved for a longer period of time using local labor, traditional methods and materials.

The King of Zangla, the owner of the building in the summer of 2007 signed an agreement to cooperate in the restoration efforts, providing accommodation, local building materials (stone, wood, adobe) and local labor to the reconstruction team.

1st phase of the recommended reconstruction (summer 2008):

Fixing the roof of Csoma’s cell and the nearby shrine using one layer of fiberglass enhanced water insulation material and the reconstruction of the original adobe layer order (similar to the previous successful reconstruction of Wanla Monastery by the Technical University of Graz)

Repairing the sections of the adobe walls

Repairing or changing the beams, pillars and the roof structure sagged or damaged by leakage

Glazing the window of Csoma’s cell

Making Csoma’s room and its anteroom lockable

Documenting and assessing the shrine’s relics

Communicating the reconstruction works as well as Csoma’s notability towards local communities (schools) and the professional supervisor body (Achi Association) and moreover towards the Hungarian/international communities

Csoma`s Wheel

Installing a contemporary artwork, thus ensuring a creative presence in Csoma’s Room or other rooms of the building, with respect for traditions, indicating the date of reconstruction, saluting the scientist in a way that can be a motivating for other nations to visit the place and to donate for the reconstruction.

More about the Wheel

2nd phase (summer 2009):

Structural consolidation of the building’s southern wing, similar to the reconstruction of the first phase

Fixing the stone stairs and road leading to the house

Continuing the communication of the reconstruction

Assigning contemporary functions to the available places (e.g. workshops, room and accommodation for researches)

About Kőrösi Csoma Sándor