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Synopsis Transporting the reader to the spiritual realm of lamas—most of it sequestered within the forbidding territory of the high Himalayas—Himalayan Buddhist Monasteries gives us a glimpse of the mystical, vibrant and serene world of Buddhist monasteries, locally known as gompas. Buddhist ceremonies, funeral and reincarnation rites, prayer rituals, festivals and dances re-enacting sacred historical events are captured in scintillating detail in this book with exquisite photographs and a vivid text. The historical evolution of the gompas in Tibetan art, architecture, education and their socio-religious functions in the life of the people are thematically examined. The sheer breadth and variety of images of monastic life in Bhutan, India, Nepal and Tibet, covering the entire gamut of Buddhist sects makes this book unlike any other.