Tag: Religion
-
Guardian angel
Guardian angel She may not exactly have the angelic looks that you would expect, but I think I recognize in this painting Palden Lhamo, the protector of the Dalai Lama, of Lhasa, even of the whole of Tibet. Many deities are known in benign and in wrathful forms. And it is in their wrathful appearance…
-
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…
-
Serenity
Serenity A houseboat glides past on the inland waterways in front of the house. The sun’s rays, reflected off the water, make the wood carvings on the door glow. Life can be beautiful in ‘God’s own country’. Photo of the week: House at the backwaters, Alapuzha, Kerala, India 2018
-
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
-
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…
-
Gyantse Kumbum
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Worn down worshippers
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
καιρός remembered 