Luang Prabang: First Impressions
Former capital of the Royal Kingdom of Laos Kingdom of a Million Elephants “Royal Buddha Image” The Jewel of Laos I’m taking a little holiday. Finally.
Inle Lake
The jewel of Burma’s Shan state is Inle Lake, a long, shallow body of freshwater situated at 2,900 feet above sea level, surrounded by lush hills and inhabited by about 150,000 people. The largest ethnic group of Inle Lake are the Intha, which means “sons of the lake.” The Intha are a Tibeto-Burmese people who [...]
Hillary Clinton @ Shwedagon Pagoda
It was my first day back in Burma and I was one of the first to arrive at Shwedagon Pagoda in anticipation of H.C.’s scheduled visit at 4:30 PM. This was the first time a U.S. Secretary of State has visited Burma in 50 years. By the time H.C. arrived at around six the place [...]
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 [...]
Apsaras & Devatas
Apsaras and devatas are the two types of females represented at the Angkor temples. Apsaras are the nymph-like temple dancers and devatas are the statuesque temple guardians. Nearly 2,000 of them decorate Angkor Wat, and many more grace the temples Bayon, Ta Prohm, Banteay Srey, etc. The most striking thing about them is their humanity. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Two Fès Medersas
The medersas of Bou Inania and el-Attarine are two of the most impressive sights of Fès, Morocco’s spiritual and cultural capital. Medersas are schools of religious study and are traditionally closed to non-Muslims, as are most mosques, but these two have been restored and converted into museums. Bou Inania has an attached mosque and minaret, [...]
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!
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Humayun’s Tomb
On the way to Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi I was “attacked” by a group of school boys under the pretext of Holi, although it was days before the actual celebration. An egg was smashed on my face from the backside of the auto rickshaw and powdered color bombs thrown on me and my friend. Certainly [...]
Morning Stroll in Bhuj
I was feeling oddly energetic my last morning in Bhuj, the main city of the Kutch region, and went for a walk to see what I would find. Not much happens in Bhuj before 10am, so I ended up photographing architecture, which was glowing in the morning light. The city’s buildings were badly damaged by [...]
Hampi
The ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire at Hampi are just spectacular. India at its best. Hampi on Wikipedia Hampi on UNESCO
