DMZ
Photo Gallery
Cheomseongdae Observatory, Gyeongju, South Korea
A sign in the courtyard of the Kathmandu Kumari. The Kumari, an actual pre-pubescent girl, is considered a Hindu "living goddess" by the Newari people of the Kathmandu Valley. In another instance of the blurry lines between Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal, the girl who is chosen to be the incarnation of the Kumari must be from a Buddhist family. If you go into this courtyard between certain hours of the day and shout up to the second floor, the Kumari will sometimes make an appearance. It is a blessing if she catches your eye. No photos of her are allowed, however, as this sign indicates.
At a Buddhist temple in Kathmandu, which looks very "Hindu-ish" in terms of its stylings and some icons (a Hindu Garuda-icon is at the top) showing that the line between Buddhism and Hinduism in Nepal is not always very clear-cut.
The wiring for electricity in Kathmandu often resembles a plate of spaghetti, as seen on the traditional second floor of a building in Kathmandu, 2018
A fierce lion sculpture and a live chicken in the small town of Bhaktapur, Nepal
Spinning prayer wheels brings Buddhist merit. Spinning a huge prayer wheel must bring even more merit!
Small linga shrines to Hindu god Shiva at Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal
Hindu family members doing funeral and/or remembrance ceremonies with priests at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
A view of the cremation area (with a cremation in progress) at Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal. 2018
A car on the streets of Kathmandu decorated for a wedding, 2018
A small figurine of the Hindu god Ganesh on the dashboard of a taxi in Kathmandu, Nepal
The Nepalese are proud that the Buddha was born in Nepal (in the town of Lumbini), as this car sign indicates.
A group of young Gelukpa order Buddhist monks at the Sera Monastery (Lhasa, Tibet) engaging in their very animated and athletic scholastic debates. 2018
Shepherds herding sheep across a highway in Tibet, 2018
This picture is at Jokhang along the Barkhor in Lhasa, Tibet. The Jokhang is the religious heart of Lhasa. The Barkhor is the most famous of Lhasa's pilgrimage circuits. The circuit skirts around the Jokhang Temple complex where you will find many pilgrims completing their kora.