Ritual Art

Walking into a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, your senses are quickly overwhelmed. Streams of sunlight pierce the darkness, offering glimpses of the monastery slowly and in soft light as incense wafts from the shadows. The walls are covered in murals painted in ancient times and still bright from the mineral pigments. If you are lucky, you will hear monks chanting their mantras and the beat of the drum, a burst of cymbals, and shrill squeal of the horn. 

As you get closer to the altar you will uncover glorious bronze and gold-plated statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas and see intricately carved gold and silver prayer bowls, butter lamps, incense burners, water flasks, conch shell horns and other ritual arts.