MetaFilter posts tagged with buddhism and Himalayas

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

homunculus — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:33:01 -0800

Art of the Kathmandu Valley

homunculus — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:20:13 -0800

From the Land of the Gods: Art of the Kathmandu Valley. [Via Plep - NY]

Buddha Paintings Found in Nepal

homunculus — Sun, 13 May 2007 10:06:08 -0800

Paintings of Buddha dating back at least to the 12th century have been discovered in a cave in Nepal. Tipped by a local shepherd, a team of international researchers climbed to some old caves where they found a mural with 55 panels depicting the life of Buddha, reminiscent of the artwork of the Ajanta Caves in India (possibly NSFW). There are probably many other forgotten caves in the Mustang area (previously discussed here,) but they may be threatened by a planned trans-Himalayan highway.

Chortens, Pagodas and Stupas

homunculus — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:15:38 -0800

The stupa (aka the chorten or the pagoda) is Buddhism's universal piece of symbolic architecture. Borobodur in Java is probably the most famous, while Burma's Shwedagon Pagoda is the largest, and the Kyaik-htiyo Pagoda on the Golden Rock may be the most precarious. They're common across the Himalayas, and sometimes hidden in caves.

If you meet the Buddha downtown, kill him!

hermitosis — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 12:12:37 -0800

Holy Madness! (Flash interface.) The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City has launched a website that allows you to pore over and compare Tibetan Buddhist artwork from their exhibits. Use the "Decode" feature to pick paintings apart and learn about their intricate components.

See also: their ambitious calendar of events.

Monasteries of Mustang

homunculus — Sat, 27 Dec 2003 16:24:21 -0800

A restoration project has been underway since 1998 to restore the 15th-century Tibetan Buddhist monastery wall paintings of Lo Monthang, a city in the kingdom of Mustang in northwest Nepal. The results have been very impressive. Mustang is also home to some amazing cave temples.