Phayul.com
Tenzin Monlam
December 15, 2015
DHARAMSHALA, December 15: From the turn of the Year, only traditional butter lamps made of real butter will be allowed in the Tsugla Khang, one of Tibet’s holiest shrines in Lhasa to safe guard the holy statues and wall paintings from the smoke produced by the canned-butter.
The announcement was made on December 14 by the Administration of Lhasa Tsugla Khang, after State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) agreed to their complains, “From January 1, 2016, only butter lamps, made of actual butter will be permitted and canned butter won’t be allowed,” said a circular posted around the premises of the temple that is thronged by thousands everyday.
The decision was enforced after series of applications to the authorities at SACH were filed complaining the ill effects of the chemical-infused canned butter on the holy statues and the frescos.
The circular reads, “The black smokes from the lamps leave a black dirt and residues on the faces and the dresses of the holy statues. It is also ruining the frescos on the wall and the paints as well.”
The Administration also expressed their concern over the recent trend of using the canned butter as a substitute in many other monasteries.
The administration also carried out quality check and the nature of its damage through experts only to find them containing highly hazardous chemicals.
