Chemrey Monastery, in Ladakh, perches at 3000m on a rocky mound among the arid mountain tops of the Himalayas. It is surrounded by a patchwork carpet of irrigated terraced fields, but otherwise the land is a dusty desert. Pure silence enfolds Chemrey. In the village, the singing of the villagers as they collect their harvest is delicately carried on the thin air, and at dawn the monks blow long ancient horns to fill the valley with powerful low resonance.
Melted snow from higher ...