Foreign Property News | Posted by Aye Myat Thu
From the crimson of monks' robes in Tibet to the shimmering licks of golden leaf that make Myanmar temples dazzle - Asia is a continent of extraordinarily rich and varied colours.
Photographer Jeremy Horner embarked on a pilgrimage to 16 countries where Buddhism is practiced, capturing the vibrant worship of the faith.
The spellbinding images show a candlelight procession of Thai monks illuminating the night with their torches, Kung Fu masters practicing their art in China and dedicated Buddhists visiting the Golden Rock Pagoda, which perches precariously atop a cliff in Myanmar.
Horner's breath-taking collection, which will be showcased in a photography book published by Goff Books, San Francisco on October 15 this year, captures aspects of each country on his exploration. One of the most striking images is of lightning hitting a floodlit Potala Palace during a thunderstorm in Lhasa, a city in China. The impressive building was once the winter dwelling of the Dalai Lamas.
Sharing experiences with the pilgrims, nuns, monks and novices across 16 Asian countries where Buddhism is embraced, has nurtured a reverence and belief in the calm and reassuring strength of this faith,' Horner wrote on Maptia.
It has been a soothing companion during what became an odyssey of self-exploration through learning about and documenting the various sects and branches of Buddhist beliefs across this massive continent.'
(Buddhist monks gather at a candlelight procession held for the annual mass inauguration of new monks at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya, a temple north of Bangkok, Thailand. The holy site is the centre of the Dhammakaya Movement, a Buddhist sect founded in the 1970s and led by a monk called Phra Dhammachayo)
(Lightning strikes over the floodlit Potala Palace during a thunderstorm in Lhasa, China. The impressive building was once the seat of the Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas)
(A Buddhist monk meditates in prayer at one of the thousands of shrines in Amarapura, a Myanmar city that was once the capital of the country)
(A monk makes a pilgrimage to the extraordinary site of Kyaiktiyo, or the Golden Rock Pagoda, located in Myanmar. A single hair belonging to Buddha is said to prevent the gigantic golden boulder from sliding off the cliff where it is perched)
(Buddhist monks at the Gelugpa school of Buddhism in Tibet, wear their characteristic yellow hats. They are pictured waiting outside the main prayer hall of Labrang Monastery)
(The monks of Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou, China, are trained in the martial art of Kung Fu. They practise their craft against the backdrop of the picturesque and colourful sacred buildings at the temple)
(A pilgrim pauses for prayer above a crowd of maroon-robed Buddhist monks who are gathered outside the main prayer hall of Labrang Monastery in China. Established in 1709, Labrang housed over 4,000 monks at its peak, but now only has around 1,500 monks)
(Pictured here is the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is also known as the Crown of Burma. It is rumoured to be the oldest pagoda (tiered tower) in the world at 2,600 years old. Standing 324ft tall and crowning a hilltop, it can be seen from all over Yangon, by day and night - thanks to the 7,000 diamonds, rubies, topaz', sapphires and a massive emerald positioned on it to reflect the setting sun)
(The striking U Bein Bridge is a crossing that spans the Taungthaman Lake near Amarapura in Myanmar. The 0.74 mile-long bridge dates back to 1850 and is believed to be the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world)
(China's Jokhang Temple (which translates as 'House of the Lord') is the holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism, at the heart of the Barkhor Circuit, drawing thousands of Tibetan pilgrims such as this woman with braided hair)
(A young novice monk enters the sparkling Buddhist temple of Wat Mai in Luang Prabang, Laos, via its elaborately decorated golden entrance, which is supported by numerous columns )
(Here a monk touches a large Buddha statue at the Wat Si Chum temple in Thailand. Visitors can take a peek at this giant sculpture through a narrow opening in the temple walls)
(Rural tribes make their annual pilgrimage to the Punakha Festival in Bhutan, where Buddhist rituals and dancing are held inside the magnificent Dzong, or monastery)
(Clothed in vibrant red robes, novice monks return to prayer studies after a break in the courtyard of Semtokha Monastery near Thimphu, Bhutan)
(Buddhist pagodas - or tiered towers - can be seen dotted in the misty landscape on the Irawaddy River in Bagan, an ancient city in Myanmar)
Ref: From crimson robes to golden temples: Stunning photos capture the colourful and spellbinding worship of Buddhism across Asia (dailymail)