Découverte du Monde - Gon Pa monastère du Ladakh

In the western Himalayas, the Ladakh region, between India and China, lies on the ancient Silk Road. Buddhism, brought by merchants who crossed these inhospitable valleys as early as the 2nd century CE, holds a prominent place here. Every town and village is watched over by a "gon pa," literally, "place in solitude." These monasteries, carved from the icy, mineral mountains, cling to the high-altitude cliffs. Near the center of Leh, Ladakh's main city, several gonpas stand. Splashes of color against the rocky landscape, the prayer flags that watch over the monasteries recite, carried by the wind...