Category: China-Tibet
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Gyantse Dzong
Gyantse Dzong The castle (dzong) of Gyantse of which the oldest parts date back to the 14th century, is towering above the city on the high clifs of the mountain. At the time Newari artists came from Nepal for carrying out the decoration of the buildings inside the fortress with murals that would influence later…
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The Tibetan plateau
The Tibetan plateau Lying north of the Himalayas, the Tibetan plateau has an average altitude of 4000 m. It is mostly dry and bare. Hardly any of the monsoon rains from India and Nepal manage to cross the barrier of the high Himalayan mountain ranges. So the average yearly rainfall in Tibet is only about…
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Pilgrims’ attraction
Pilgrims’ attraction During the three-day festival in July, when the giant thangka is displayed at Tashilhunpo Monastery, pilgrims come from far and wide. They climb the steps to the foot of the thangka wall, walk past it and descend again on the other side. To get a good view of the images on the thangka,…
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Tashilhunpo Thanka
Tashilhunpo Thanka Tashilhunpo in Shigatse is the largest monastery in Tibet and the seat of the Panchen Lamas. The complex comprises various monuments with golden roofs and a large number of chapels filled with statues and adorned with murals, thangkas and other treasures. For 362 days a year, this monastic town does not look exactly…
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Shekar Monastery
Shekar Monastery It may be in the middle of nowhere, but like most of the erstwhile 1000 monasteries in Tibet, this one too could not escape the destructive fury of the Cultural Revolution. Partly rebuilt, it has again become a centre of study and worship, nourished by the “White Crystal” (Shekar) inside. Photo of the…
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Timeless Tibet
Timeless Tibet A child coming down the village road. It could be 200 years ago but then Daguerre’s invention wasn’t there yet to deliver proof. It could be today from a smartphone sent instantly to your screen. It was, in fact, June 1996 captured by my camera on Kodak film. Photo of the week: Shekar,…
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Yak horns
Yak horns Turning prayer wheels, as mentioned in last week’s post, and prayer flags fluttering in the wind, as mentioned in an earlier post, are effective ways of amplifying and spreading the positive effects of the sacred texts they contain. Another very ancient custom is the use of engraved stones or animal skulls and horns…
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As the world turns
As the world turns Praying whilst chatting with friends in the square … for Tibetans, this is possible thanks to their prayer wheels. Sacred mantras such as ‘om mani padme hum’ can be written repeatedly on paper in large numbers and placed on a scroll inside the wheel. It is believed that turning the wheel…
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Tibet café
Tibet café In this simple Tibetan café, we see a not necessarily hostile mix of people and their cultural expressions from China and Tibet. The large thermos flasks and at least one of the guests are clearly Chinese, whilst the lady with the impressive silver buckle is a typical, traditionally dressed Tibetan woman. The thermos…
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The raising of the flag
The raising of the flag I was born after the Second World War in a liberated Netherlands. The country had just emerged from five years of occupation by Nazi Germany. I still remember very clearly the annual celebrations during my childhood on 5 May, the day in 1945 on which the country was liberated from…
καιρός remembered 