Nepal after the Earthquake
A devastating earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing more than 9,000 people. It was followed by a strong aftershock on May 12, 2015 and a series of minor aftershocks. This talk will discuss the damage to historic sites in the Kathmandu Valley and the efforts to rebuild lost monuments.
Gudrun Bühnemann is a Professor of Sanskrit and Indic Religions in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia (LCA) and the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature (EALL) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She travels to Nepal regularly to carry out research on Tantric iconography and ritual, working with texts and images. Her recent publications include The Life of the Buddha: Buddhist and Śaiva Iconography and Visual Narratives in Artists’ Sketchbooks from Nepal (Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2012) and Śākyamuni’s Return Journey to Lumbinī (lumbinīyātrā): A Study of a Popular Theme in Newar Buddhist Art and Literature (Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2015).