Buddhist Monks and Temples

Monks in traditional robes are depicted walking and interacting around intricately designed monasteries and temples across Mongolia, Bhutan, and Nepal, highlighting spiritual practices.

China, Gansu Province, Xiahe, Labrang Monastery (1709), pilgrims spinning prayer wheels

Litang Monastery, a group of young monks are preparing the tibetan debate, West of Sichuan province; Litang, Sichuan, China

The Chongsheng Monastery is the mother building of the Three Pagodas. It was originally built at the same time as the first pagoda, but burnt down during the Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 2005. The Three Pagodas (the symbols of Dali) are an ensemble of three independent pagodas just north of the town of Dali dating from the time of the Nanzhao kingdom and the Kingdom of Dali. Dali is the ancient capital of both the Bai kingdom Nanzhao, which flourished in the area during the 8th and 9th centuries, and the Kingdom of Dali, which reigned from 937-1253. Situated in a once significantly Muslim part of South China, Dali was also the center of the Panthay Rebellion against the reigning imperial Qing Dynasty from 1856-1863.

Paro, Bhutan - 17 September 2025: View of monks in vibrant orange robes traverse the stone path at Sangchekhor monastery, juxtaposed with the serene stillness of a resting dog.

Costumed dancers at religious festivity with many visitors, Paro Tshechu, Bhutan

A monk after a ritual dance during Hemis Festival, Ladakh, India.

HUNDER, INDIA - SEPTEMBER 6, 2011: Tibetan Buddhist monks playing traditional musical instruments. Hunder, Nubra valley, Ladakh, India

Portrait of Buddhist monk during late afternoon pudja, Tso Kar, Ladakh, India, June 2010

TIBETANS circumnambulate the Jokhang Temple along the BARKOR a TIBETAN Bazaar - LHASA, TIBET

A novice monk at Hemis Monastery in India.

Jakar, Bhutan - 24 September 2025: View of a vibrant red-clad dancer reflected in a flooded courtyard, framed by the intricate architecture of a traditional Dzong.

Asia, China, Yunnan Province, Lijiang. Lama of Red Hat sect and burning incense (Editorial Usage Only)

Asia, Bhutan, Thimphu. Woman at the prayer wheels of the Memorial Chorten, Thimphu.

Monks, Bhutan, Asia

Bhutan, Trongsa, festival, religious, dancers,

Jakar, Bhutan - 24 September 2025: View of monks in flowing red robes performing a ritual dance on polished wooden floor, the scene bathed in soft, filtered light.

An old woman with prayer wheels laughing at the Kyichu Buddhist Temple in Paro, Bhutan

Nepal, Bhaktapur, Tachapal Tol, handicraft shop, people,

Novice monks studying on the grounds at Hemis Monastery in India.

Spectators , Wangdi Buddhist Festival,Wangdiphodrang, Bhutan

Bhutan, Gangtey Gompa, Tsecchu festival crowds descending temple steps dressed in their best clothes.

Bhutanese boy monk firing a toy gun, Wangdiphodrang, Bhutan

Pilgrim with tea pot in front of prayer wheels, Paelkhor Choede Convent, Gyantse, Tibet

Yellow hat lama monk in Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Shigatse, Tibet, China. (Editorial Use Only)

View of a monk in vibrant red robes walks across the stone courtyard of Jambay Lhakhang, framed by traditional architecture and prayer flags, Jakar, Bumthang, Bhutan.

Workers in tibetan monastery,Lhasa, Tibet

Asia, Tibet, Pilgrims at the Potala Palace (Budalagong) was once the centre of the Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. One of the architectural wonders of the world.

Young lama, Gandan Monastery, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Monks of the black cap order, Tshurpu Convent near Lhasa, Tibet

Bhutan, Punakha Dzong. Punakha Drubchen Festival, female dancers in traditional attire. (Editorial Use Only)

Boudhanath Buddhist Stupa (Devanagari), Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia.

Cham dance performed by monks, Ladakh Jo Khang Temple, Leh, Ladakh, India, Asia

Tibet, Sakya Monastery / Pel Sakya

Pilgrims line up to attend Tshechu Festival at Thimphu Dzong, woman and man in different lines, Bhutan

Buddhist monks blowing conch shells at Thikse Monastery (Thiksay Gompa), Ladakh, Kashmir, India, Asia

Jakar, Bhutan - 24 September 2025: View of monks in vibrant red robes whirl and leap against the backdrop of ancient Dzong murals, a dance of tradition and spirit.

Nepal, Mustang, traditional festival

Asia, Bhutan, Thimphu, Autumn Tsechu festival at Trashi Chhoe Dzong

Nepal, Kathmandu, Bodhanth Stupa, Tibetans Hanging The Stupa With Prayer Flags For New Year Celebrations.

India; West Bengal, Kalimpong, Thongsa Gompa, young buddhist monk, prayer wheels,

Asia, China, A monk at Tayuan Si monastery

Evening ceremony in a temple at Goverdan ecovillage, Maharashtra, India

Locals celebrating at the Leh Festival, Leh, Ladakh, North West India

Monks blowing conches at Spituk Monastery (Gompa), Ladakh, India, Asia

Monks standing in front of a wall painting from the Ramayana epic in the Silver Pagoda or Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot, Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh Province, Cambodia, Asia

Tibetan nuns with traditional trombones, Sangngag Simkyil Nunnery, Tibet

Tibetan pilgrims have lunch in Sera Monastery courtyard - Lhasa Tibet

Thimphu, Bhutan - 28 September 2025: View of a vibrant crowd gathered at Tashichho Dzong, where traditional architecture meets the lively energy of a colorful gathering.

A Tibetan woman with child turning one of the giant prayer wheels of the Sengze Gyanak Mani wall, along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway between Yushu and Xiewu, Qinghai province, China, Asia

View of a man in traditional dress standing among ornate chortens fading into the misty mountains, Dochula Chorten, Thimphu, Bhutan.

Vibrant festival dances at a mountain monastery

Five Buddhist monks in silhouette

THIKSEY, INDIA, SEPTEMBER 4, 2011: Two Tibetan Buddhist monks blowing conches during morning pooja, Thiksey gompa, Ladakh, India, Asia

Pilgrims at Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan, Myanmar, Asia

Turning the beautiful black and gold prayer wheels at Changangkha Lhakhang, where parents come to obtain auspicious names for their newborns.

Ourga, Mongolia a lama near the alignment of stupa in the Gandan district to the west and north , 1913 - Mongolia - Stéphane Passet - (July 6-25) (French - Ourga , Mongolie Un lama près de l' alignement de stupa du quartier de Gandan à louest et au nord). Buddhism, costume, Tibetan rite Buddhism, funeral architecture, exists in high definition, awning, religious architecture, man, Religion, clothing, housing , architecture, HD, human beings, Ourga, a blade

Nuns blowing into horns at a convent, Thimphu, Bhutan, Himalaya Mountains, Asia

Bhutan, Paro. Archery competition, Bhutan's National sport. Archer in traditional attire. (Editorial Use Only)

Monks at the Tibetan Buddhist Hemis Monastery, Ladakh region, state of Jammu and Kashmir, India, Asia

Performers in costume play traditional instruments during a Cham dance at the Bhutanese Paro Tshechu Festival within Paro Dzong, a monastery and fortress in Paro, Bhutan; Paro, Bhutan

Thimphu, Bhutan - 28 September 2025: View of young boys perched in traditional attire, their gaze meeting the camera against a backdrop of monks in crimson robes, creating a scene of cultural harmony.

Buddhist monks and monastery in Zanskar valley, Northern India.

Horsemen at horse festival near Daofu, Tibetan area, Sichuan, China

Asia, Bhutan, Thimphu, Autumn Tsechu festival at Trashi Chhoe Dzong

Mask dance at monastery festival, Phyang, Leh, valley of Indus, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Novice Buddhist monk collects morning alms in front of Laymyetnha Paya, Lemyethna Temple, Mrauk U, Burma, Myanmar, Asia

Young Buddhist monks shopping, Paro, Bhutan

Buddhist pilgrims turning prayer wheels and prostrating; Labrang, Amdo, China

Monks practicing ritualized TIBETAN BUDDHIST debate at TASHILHUNPO MONASTERY - SHIGATSE, TIBET

The Besakih Temple on the Agung volcano. Bali is also known as the mother temple. The Besakih Temple on the Agung volcano. The most sacred and most important temple is also referred to in Hindu faith in Bali as a mother's temple. A great historical building with a lot of history.

Jakar Dzong, Bhutan - 24 September 2025: View of a vibrant dancer in traditional dress amidst the ornate architecture of the Dzong's courtyard, bathed in warm sunlight.

Monk walks along an eroded mud wall in the kingdom of Guge, Western Tibet, Asia

iglesia del Calvario, Chichicastenango, Quiché, Guatemala, America Central.

Giant prayer wheels and yaks at the Buddhist Monastery of Tagong (Lhagang) - Kham, Sichuan Province, China, (Tibet)

Dancers and spectators at the Tashichho Dzong monastery festival, Thimphu, Bhutan, Asia

A Buddhist monk walks in the ruins of Sarnath, where Lord Gautam Buddha lived near the Dhamekh Stupa Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India Copyright: xAkellaxSrinivas/DinodiaxPhotox

Nepalese monk with face mask, dressed as Demon (to reprasent evil) at the end of the 'Duk chu' festival, Lo-Manthang, Upper Mustang, Nepal

Observing a solar eclipse on January 1, 1907 near the Cherniaevo Station in the Tian-Shan mountains above the Saliuktin mines. Golodnaia Steppe.

Jakar Dzong, Bhutan - 24 September 2025: View of monks in vibrant red robes spinning and leaping in a historic hall adorned with intricate murals.

Kumbum Stupa, Tibetan Friendship Highway; Gyangze, Tibet, China

Priest at a Shinto ceremony, Aoi Festival, sitting at the holy stream in the Kamigamo Shrine, Kyoto, Japan, Asia

Monk, Yumbulagang fortress, Tibet

Monks walking on a teak bridge, U Bein Bridge, across Thaungthaman lake, Amarapura, Mandalay Division, Myanmar, Asia

Monks dance with ribbons representing deity powers at the Monlam Chenmo, Katok Monastery - Kham, (Tibet), Sichuan, China

Taiwan, Kaohsiung district, Dashu, Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastery, Jade Buddha Building, Recitation Hall, nun praying

Men sitting in a temporary shelter, attending a funeral ceremony at a rante, the ceremonial site for a Torajan funeral, in Sereale, Toraja Land, South...

View of a man descends stone steps flanked by ornate chortens under a misty sky, Dochula Pass, Hungtso, Bhutan.

Jain nuns visiting a temple, Palitana temples, Mount Shatrunjaya, Palitana, Gujarat, India, Asia

Vietnam, Xuan Thuy National Park, Red River Delta, Ramsar, UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. Giao Thien Commune Nha Boi Buddhist Temple.

Monks unfurl Thanka of Arhat at the Cham dances, Katok Dorjeden Monastery - Kham, (eastern, Tibet), Sichuan Province, China

Ladakh, India, August 29, 2018: Musician with a huge drum on festival in Ladakh, India. Illustrative editorial, Asia

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visits the Choijin Lama Temple Museum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on July 24, 2021.

Young buddhist monks using pole to carry metal rubbish bin, Chhode Gompa, Lo-Manthang, Upper Mustang, Nepal

Mexico, Chiapas, Chamula. The Tzotzil Mayan men of Chamula wear black wool ponchos

Elderly man with a large prayer wheel at Spituk Monastery, Leh district, Ladakh, Kashmir, India, Asia

Monks on the roof of the Tshurpu Convent near Lhasa, Tibet

Asia, China, Yunnan Province, Baoshan Region, Tengchong Co., Heshun Village. Traditional Chinese music concert (Editorial Usage Only)

Three Tibetan Buddhist nuns, a younger, a middle-aged and a 70-year-old woman in red monks' robes in front of the Tibetan Buddhist symbols at the monastery entrance, Gongkar Chode Monastery, Lhasa, Gongkar, Tibet, China, Asia

Two monks sitting on the stairs to Korzok monastery, Korzok, Ladakh, India, Asia

Front view of walking monks; Tibet

Japanese pilgrims praying at an archaeological site, important Buddhist pilgrimage destination, ruins of the ancient University of Nalanda, Ragir, Bihar, India, Asia

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