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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
Oh, Calcutta…
Calcutta is a unique city to India and the world. True to its reputation, it’s insanely crowded and chaotic, sidewalks full of all kinds of human activity, and the contrast between the old and new, poor and rich, is more acute than anyplace else I’ve seen in India. The city has amazing colonial architecture, thousands [...]
Good Day at Stondge
After the teachings I headed to Stondge (pronounced Ton-day) Gompa, which has to be the coolest monastery in all of Ladakh and Zanskar. It sits high atop a ridge in a surreally beautiful mountain range and has the most spectacular views of Zanskar I’ve seen. Like Karsha Monastery, Stondge belongs to the Gelugpa (yellow hat) [...]
Lamayuru Festival
Lamayuru is one of my favorite places in Ladakh. It’s a beautiful village with an amazing monastery set in a totally surreal mountain landscape. I went to the monastery’s annual festival last weekend. Masked dances (chams) enacting themes from Tibetan mythology are the center stage of these festivals and the house is always packed. (Thankfully, [...]
A Great Little Day!
Today was a great little day for me. I stumbled onto a small festival where I was the only non-Ladakhi and the locals just brought me into the fold. The exact reason for the festival is still unclear to me, but monks and nuns from different monasteries were there to recite some Buddhist texts. The [...]
Road to Lamayuru
I was invited by a few of the dentists working for the dZi Foundation to go on a day trip to the monasteries at Lamayuru and Alchi, and since I hadn’t been on a single road trip since I arrived over a month ago and can’t pass up a trip to a monastery I thought [...]
Future Buddha
Thiksey Monastery is one of the biggest and wealthiest in Ladakh. It’s of the Gelugpa order (same as the Dalai Lama) and has over 100 monks in residence. This is the three-story, 45 foot Maitreya (Future) Buddha by Ladakhi artist Nawang Tsering. It’s the queen bee of Buddhist sculptures here and probably the most iconic [...]
