Tag: Religion
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Jokhang
Jokhang The clouds of smoke from the burning of incense block the view of the entrance to the Jokhang, the most important sanctuary of Tibet in the heart of Lhasa. The oldest parts of the temple date from the 7th century. And still the place is buzzing with religious and social activity. Photo of the…
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Serenity
Serenity A houseboat passing on the backwaters in front. Reflected rays of the sun lighting up the wood carving on the door. Life can be good in God’s own country. Photo of the week: House at the backwaters, Alapuzha, Kerala, India 2018
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Flexi poster crib
Flexi poster crib Flying angels between the trees, Mary with child, Joseph, ox, donkey and sheep, the kings with their presents, all nicely lit up from behind by the sun. For a peaceful and happy Christmas. Photo of the week: Panchgani, Maharashtra, India 2018
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Under the Banyan tree
Under the Banyan tree A Banyan tree, flower garlands hanging on its trunk, pictures of Hindu gods with little offerings in front, a food vendor preparing snacks in his stall … A sight so typically Indian, it couldn’t be anywhere else. Why does it make me feel good? Photo of the week: New Delhi, India…
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Gyantse Kumbum
The biggest and best preserved pyramidal multi-chapel monument of the kind in Tibet. It has more than 70 – dark – chapels inside, almost all decorated with murals and statues. We can look at the kumbum as a three-dimensional mandala: when you project the whole building on its ground-plan, it represents a visual metaphor of…
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Pilgrims’ attraction
During the three-day festival in July when the giant thanka is exposed – see last week’s post -, pilgrims come from far and wide. They climb the stairs to the base of the thanka-wall, walk past and go down on the other side. For a good overview of the images on the thanka it would…
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Tashilhunpo Thanka
Tashilhunpo in Shigatse is the largest monastery in Tibet and the seat of the Panchen Lamas. The complex contains several golden roofed monuments and a multitude of chapels filled with statues and adorned with murals, thankas and other treasures. For 362 days of the year the view of this monastic city is not exactly like…
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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 week: Shekar…
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Worn down worshippers
Thousands, if not millions of feet must have stepped on the threshold of this place of worship, wearing down bit by bit the reliefs of worshippers sculpted on its surface. Touching signs of the passage of time. Photo of the week: Entrance of Vitthala temple complex, Hampi, Karnataka, India 2014
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Miss World & Mister Universe
Miss World is what she was, Aishwarya Rai, way back in 1994, after which she became one of Bollywood’s superstars. And yes, the person next to her is Mister Universe, Shiva the cosmic dancer, already for quite a while by now. Nice seeing them so innocently side by side, these two emblems of popular Indian…
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