A Guest Blog from a Trip to South Asia
Here at my farm, whenever a member of my team returns from vacation I always encourage them to share their photos.
Earlier this year my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, and his wife, traveled to four beautiful countries in South Asia - Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, and Chhiring's homeland Nepal. During their trip, they visited various temples and monasteries, toured museums, hiked ancient rock formations, met the the Dalai Lama, and celebrated the Tibetan New Year, Losar, with family and close friends.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Chhiring’s first stop was Sri Lanka. He and his wife traveled together and met up with family. Here he is with his wife, mother, mother-in-law, and brother in front of the majestic 88-foot white Buddha statue on Elephant Rock, Ethugala.
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- This is the entrance of Ridi Viharaya or Silver Temple, a second century Theravada Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka. It is believed that the silver from this area was what paid for Ruwanweli Maha Saya, one of the country’s largest stupas.
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- Inside the main temple are Buddharupa statues – all slightly different showing a number of gestures.
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- These are temple monkeys, also known as the Toque macaque – reddish brown monkeys endemic to Sri Lanka. They are often seen near Buddhist and Hindu temples where they can interact with visiting humans.
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- Here is a view of the Ruwanweli Maha Seya Stupa, also known as the Maha Thupa, in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This is one of the world’s tallest ancient monuments standing 338-feet and with a circumference of 951 feet.
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- To one side of the stupa is the Mihintale Buddha located on the summit of Mihintale Mountain. It is believed to be the site where the Buddha first preached on the lessons of Buddhism.
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- One can climb to the statue via a series of rock carved steps.
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- The climb is tough, but both Chhiring’s mother and mother-in-law made the long trek.
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- Chhiring and his family also visited Gal Vihara in Polonnaruwa, a stunning series of rock-carved Buddhas made in the 12th century and all carved from a single granite rock face.
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- Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress near Dambulla, Sri Lanka. Here is Chhiring and his family at the base of the rock of Sigiri.
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- Cobra Hood Cave is a natural geological formation that looks similar to a cobra’s head – also part of the Sigiriya Rock Fortress complex.
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- Chhiring also stopped in South India where he was fortunate enough to meet the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. Here, Chhiring respectfully asks for blessings and greets him with with the customary bow.
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- Here is Chhiring’s mother doing the same. What at honor.
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- This is the monumental statue of Buddha Dordenma located in Thimphu, Bhutan. It is 169 feet tall and houses more than 125,000 smaller Buddha statues inside. It is one of the largest sitting Buddha statues in the world.
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- Here are the guards in front of Simply Bhutan, a living museum in Thimpu. The mueum is interactive and allows visitors to experience Bhutanese culture and traditions by trying archery, wearing various attire and participating in classic Bhutanese performances.
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- A trip to Bhutan would not be complete without visiting the Punakha Dzong, or Pungthang Dewa Chhenbi Phodrang, “the palace of great happiness or bliss.” This palace houses sacred relics and is the main venue for the coronation of Bhutan leaders.
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- The Palace grounds and all of Bhutan are extremely clean – it was impressive to walk through the area.
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- Chhiring and his wife also walked through Paro Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest. It is located on a cliffside in the upper Paro valley in Bhutan and is a sacred Vajrayana Himalayan Buddhist site for prayer and teachings.
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- Finally, a visit to Nepal, Chhiring’s homeland. Here he is with his wife and mother in front of one of the the country’s tea gardens, Kanyam, where black, green, and white teas are produced.
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- Here, Chhiring’s wife asks for New Year blessings from her mother. The family was happy to spend the holiday at home in Nepal.
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- And of course, a photo in front of the stunning mountains of the region. What a wonderful trip Chhiring – thanks for sharing these photos with us!
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