Restoring above the clouds in Sikkim

Restoring above the clouds


Charlotte Bellizzi a Maltese conservator-restorer of paintings has recently returned from India where she was in charge of the second phase of the restoration of the wall paintings of the Royal Temple of Sikkim which project took 10 weeks to complete.

Sikkim in the Himalayan mountains, at an altitude of around 3,500 meters above sea level, lies between Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet in China. It was an independent country but for the last 30 years it has been part of India.

Sikkim home to the Kanchenjunga the world’s third-highest mountain, is characterized by Buddhist faith and, once home to numerous old Buddhist Temples, has over recent last years witnessed the destruction of many of these buildings in an urge to modernise the country with the atrocious practice of demolishing old monasteries to make way to build new ones.

The restoration of the wall paintings carried out in the Royal Temple is, in fact, the first restoration project in this land, and has managed to save the precious wall paintings from being destroyed or repainted.

The Royal Chapel, known as the Tsuklakhang, lies within the Palace grounds and incorporates a monastery for young monks. It is also a repository of a vast collection of old Buddhist scriptures. The gompa (local word for temple) is a century old and was built on the same site as the previous Royal Temple after it had collapsed in an earthquake. The walls of the two-storied building are decorated with murals representing intricate scenes from Buddha’s life and teachings. These are some of the finest Buddhist wall paintings in existence and are the work of a very accomplished Tibetan artist sent to embellish the Temple of the King. They are painted with mineral and natural pigments mixed with extracts from yak skin therefore are very delicate. These are further embellished with the use of shell gold applied with a brush.

Leading a team of local assistant restorers, Charlotte Bellizzi was in charge of consolidating the opening cracks in the walls of the temple due to previous earthquakes using mostly local material as to be compatible with the building. The wall paintings which appeared dark due to grime accumulated during the years and from the black sooth resulting from burning butter lamps lit as offerings, were cleaned as to uncover the vivid colours of the original paintings. The project was received with admiration from the local people and was an introduction to conserving past heritage instead of replacing it.

After spending around 15 weeks finishing the ground floor of the temple, the third phase will be a continuation of the same procedure but with further challenges. Since Buddhists profess against the killing of any livings, at the moment chemical combinations are being tested in Germany as to get rid of the insect infestation of the wooden parts present in upper floor. Instead of killing the insects, the product would aim at sterilizing them and providing a bad taste to the wood so that the insects will just leave, therefore offering a compromise between centuries old believes and modern restoration concept.

This was not the first project by Charlotte Bellizzi abroad. Previously she has contributed in the restoration of the Roman Casa dei Dioscuri in Pompei and Tsemo Temple in Leh, India.

Other local projects include the restoration of the Chapel of Sacrament and the nave of St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, the wall paintings of the dome of St Catherine of Italy in Valletta and the dome of the Capuchins Monastery in Mdina.