MA
Religious Studies
Sonam Nyenda completed his MA in Religious Studies with a specialization in Bhutanese Buddhism. His primary research interest in this area concerned, among others, tantric rituals, the significance of art and iconography and their function within ritual and practice, and tantric ritual manuals. He worked on the Vajrakila tradition of Sumthrang Sumdrup Chodzong Gompa (est. 1228 AD) in central Bhutan. Sonam examined in particular the art and Kangsoel ritual, which is performed annually to appease the deities of this tradition. Sonam Nyenda is a teacher at the college of Language and Culture Studies, Royal University of Bhutan.