Lotus & Silk Weaving ~ Inle Lake, Burma
Inle Lake is home to a unique micro-industry of textile weaving using fibers from lotus reeds. About 200 people from two villages work in this industry and produce a beautiful range of fabrics in lotus and silk blends. Not to be missed if you’re heading to Burma soon.
Shwedagon Pagoda
Towering over the ramshackle streets of Yangon and drawing the city to it like a colossal golden spaceship, Shwedagon Pagoda is the foremost sacred site of Burma and one of the most spectacular temples of the Buddhist world. The Shwedagon complex radiates positive energy and tranquility, and the effect is magical, if not completely hypnotic. [...]
The 8,000 Buddhas of Pindaya Cave
The Pindaya Cave in Burma’s Shan state is home to over 8,000 Buddha statues. The oldest statues and inscriptions are from the 18th century, but the site probably dates back further than that. There are about 70 images of the Bhisakkaguru tradition (late 18th century) that are styled differently than the other Buddha images found [...]
High Road to Taos
Here are my three favorite images from a recent trip to Santa Fe to photograph its historic churches: St. Francis of Asis church at Taos, painted and photographed beautifully by many artists for its architecture (in the New Mexico light) Ceiling of San José de Gracia church at Las Trampas, decorated with 18th century designs [...]
IKTT Reviving Cambodian Ikat
On the outskirts of Siem Reap nestled away in a tropical forest, the enlightened Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles (IKTT) is working to restore and preserve Cambodia’s silk textile traditions. The Khmer Rouge all but obliterated the country’s artisans during the 1970s, including its weavers who produced silk ikat, one of the world’s most complex [...]
I Dream of Angkor
Oh, the years I’ve waited to see Ankgor! Even though half the world and practically every photographer have visited these temples already, and even though it’s sometimes as crowded as an Asian theme park, that doesn’t detract from the experience of being here and soaking it all up. It’s truly magnificent. I love how it’s [...]
Anokhi Factory
The clothing retailer Anokhi is one of my favorite things about India. A trip to one of their shops brightens even the worst day in Delhi. Not only are their block printed clothes and other textiles beautifully designed and tailored, they actually run a socially and environmentally ethical business. Before leaving India I visited their [...]
Glorious Alchi
Alchi is the artistic gem of Ladakh. Its temples and stupas are filled with beautiful, well-preserved Buddhist artwork from the 11-12th centuries, pre-dating the Tibetan style that came later. It’s said to be one of the 108 temples founded by Rinchen Zangpo, the 10th century scholar and translator of Buddhist Sanskrit texts. The whole life [...]
Wanla Gompa
One of the four branches of Lamayuru monastery, Wanla Monastery dates to the time of Rinchen Zangpo (958-1055) and shares features with Lamayuru’s ancient Sengge-Gang temple and the temples at Alchi, Mangyu and Sumda Chun. All are located in the same general area west of Leh. Wanla gompa is set high on a hill overlooking [...]
Sengge-Gang at Lamayuru
Lamayuru is perhaps the oldest monastery in Ladakh, thought to be a site of the ancient Bön religion of Tibet. Legend has it that Rinchen Zangpo (958-1055), who is said to have built 108 temples in western Tibet, built two temples and five stupas at Lamayuru. One of thos is probably Sengge-Gang, whose wall paintings [...]
Buddhist Masks
No wonder Picasso loved masks. I think he would have liked the Tibetan Buddhist ones too. The mask above is of Yamantaka, the Terminator of Death, who is the wrathful incarnation of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of Wisdom. According to legend, the Lord of Death, Yama, was about to destroy Tibet, but the people sought help [...]
Rainbow Body
One of the most fascinating aspects of Tibetan Buddhism the way it uses visual arts to represent complex Tantric concepts. This can be traced back to the spread of Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century by Guru Padmasambhava, who incorporated deities and practices from Tibet’s ancient, animistic Bön religion and magical rites and mantras [...]
Sitapatara
This is the one of the few statues of Sitapatara in Ladakh. She’s from the 17th century and lives inside the shrine at Leh Palace. Sitapatara is worshipped in Tibetan Buddhism as a protectress from harm, diseases and evil spirits. Her hand gesture is symbolic of this. She looks like a female Avaloketesvara with the [...]
Two Fès Doors
Photographing the doors of Morocco may be a cliché, but it’s a hard one to resist. Here are two painted doors from Fès’s restored palaces — the first from Dar Tazi and the second from Dar Mokri. Hopefully I’m forgiven for loving these!
Butter Sculptures
Torma are sculptures made of flour and butter used in rituals and as offerings in Tibetan Buddhism. They’re made for different purposes and symbolize different Buddhist concepts. After they’ve been “used” they’re placed outside and eaten by birds and animals.
Buddhist Caves at Ajanta & Ellora
Another batch from the archives! These are images from the ancient Buddhist rock-cut caves at Ajanta and Ellora, very famous places so I won’t elaborate.
Ajrakh Printing in Dhamadka
Another set of images from the archives! Dhamadka is one of two remaining places in Gujarat where traditional ajrakh block printing is still done. See the MAIWA website for how the cloth evolves from start-to-finish. It’s an extremely labor-intensive process and the results are gorgeous. The last image shown here was a test cloth, but I [...]
Jain Masterpiece at Ranakpur
Ranakpur is known for this spectacular marble Jain temple with over 1,400 carved pillars and unbelievably ornate cupolas. It was built between the 14th and 15th centuries and today is located on the road between Jodhpur and Udaipur in Rajasthan. Traveling by local bus, I stopped there for a night and made these images. I [...]
Sanganeri Block Printing
Just outside of Jaipur, the small town of Sanganer one of the largest block printing centers in Rajasthan and India. Each block printing center has its own traditional designs, and today Sanganer does both its traditional and new styles of work. The bus dropped me off along the main road in front of a small shop [...]
Rehwa Society
Roshanara Bi was unlikely to become one of the top weavers of Maheshwar. Born into a poor family from the Muslim area of town, at age 16 she was married off to a young man from a neighboring village. She bore a son but did not want to stay in the marriage, and after three [...]
Ancient Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
Sanchi, a small village in the state of Madhya Pradesh, is home to some of the world’s oldest and most spectacular Buddhist monuments. The Great Stupa at Sanchi is the site’s main structure and was erected by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 250 BCE after his enthusiastic conversion to Buddhism. At its height the Maurya [...]
Norbulingka Institute
The Norbulingka Institute near Dharamsala was established to preserve Tibetan culture and traditional arts. It has workshops for thanka painting and appliqué, woodworking, metal sculpture and textiles, and produces top-notch work, all done by Tibetan refugees. There’s a beautiful shop where the goods are sold, a Buddhist temple, a doll museum, a delicious cafe, a [...]
Sumda Chun
Yesterday I hired a car/driver and traveled with a Ladakhi friend/guide to visit two remote monasteries west of Leh: Sumda Chun and Mangyu. Along with Alchi, they form a trilogy of early Tibetan Buddhist temples dating from the 11th century. The artwork of these temples is totally unlike the other Buddhist temples in the region [...]
12th Century Meditation Cave
Over the past few days I’ve traveled by bus to Saspol, a sweet little village about two hours from Leh, to photograph this meditation cave. The mountainside above Saspol is dotted with meditation caves and thankfully they’re off the tourist circuit. The one shown here is the largest and contains 12th century murals on all [...]
