This review essay presents three publications on central Himalayan arts and architecture. Published over the past decade, they constitute the most recent works on the subject. It is worth noting here that central Himalayan material cultures have so far received limited attention from scholars. This situation is in stark contrast with the amount of research devoted to nearby regions, such as the Kathmandu Valley, Himachal Pradesh or Ladakh, to cite a few. It also contrasts with the valuable and more numerous studies on the area's history and religious anthropology. 1 The recent publication of Chanchani's Mountain Temples & Temple Mountains triggered my interest in reviewing it together with Jean-Luc Cortes and Jean-Claude Brézillon's The Primitive Statuary of Western Nepal