Paro Taktsang, a Buddhist monastery in Bhutan
© Baron Reznik/Getty Images
Tibetan New Year - Have a rest at the Tiger's Nest
Welcome to the year 2152. That is, in the Tibetan calendar at least. Today marks the start of Losar, the new year festival celebrated in Tibetan Buddhism, which is observed in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, and parts of India. Losar celebrations run for 15 days, beginning the night before with a meal of guthuk—a traditional dumpling soup. The new year is rung in with an incense burning ceremony and visits to holy places to pray for good fortune in the year ahead.
Today's image takes us to Paro Taktsang, also known as the Tiger's Nest, a Buddhist monastery and holy site perched 10,000 feet above sea level in Bhutan. Built around the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave in 1692, it is where Guru Padmasambhava, who introduced Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan, meditated and taught his students. Paro Taktsang is made up of four main temples, all connected by stairways cut into the cliff face, as well as a handful of rickety bridges. In Bhutan, Losar is celebrated with picnics, dancing, darts, and the country's national sport: archery.