Kunkhyen Pema Karpo

CHINA, Tibet, Nyingchi

Kunkhyen Pema Karpo was a Tibetan monk, artist, and scholar from Gongbo (present day Nyingchi). He was recognized in 1536, at the age of nine, as the fourth reincarnation of Gyalwang Drukpa, the founder of the Drukpa Kagyu school, and was subsequently sent to Ralung Monastery. He was a curious and studious youth and studied under several well-known scholars. In particular, he excelled in the areas of painting, sculpting and writing.
According to his recorded biography, Kunkhyen Pema Karpo had several thousand disciples. During his time, he founded 10 new monasteries and repaired or expanded 20 existing monasteries. He also constructed various shrines and Buddha statues, and contributed to the creation of the Buddha statues at Drepung Monastery. The Buddha statues he produced featured distinct characteristics such as protruding chins, slender bodies, and decorative monastic robes. Many of his works can still be found at Ganden Monastery.
A prolific writer, Kunkhyen Pema Karpo’s Tibetan manuscript entitled Essay on Appraising Bronze Buddhist Sculptures provides a thorough classification and evaluation of the bronze Buddha statues within Tibet, China, India, Nepal, and the surrounding regions. It is the earliest analysis and appraisal of Tibetan sculptures in existence.