Colourful clothes shops, Chandni Chowk bazaar, Old Delhi, Delhi, India, Asia

A cloth shop, Pragpur, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

Panchedi work, combination of wax blocking and block printing to make paintings on cloth, Gujarat, India, Asia

Tapa cloth, Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynensia, Pacific Islands, Pacific

Pieces of cloth tied on hilltop by women to ask for a son, Nyrato, Uzbekistan, Central Asia, Asia

Making bogolan (mud cloth) on cotton, Segou, Mali, West Africa, Africa

Silk scarves, Chatuchak weekend market, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Cloth Hall market, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Krakow, Malopolska, Poland, Europe

Old Souq (Souq Waqif), Doha, Qatar, Middle East

Cloth print depicting the sacred Buddha tooth relic in the Perahera in Kandy, Sri Lanka, Asia

Pohyon-sa, a Korean Buddhist temple located in Hyangsan county in North Pyongan Province, Myohyang Mountains area, North Korea, Asia

Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar, Middle East

King Harold arriving from North to confront William, Bayeux Tapestry, Normandy, France, Europe

The cross and the white cloth symbolize the resurrection of Jesus, Holy Week, St. Ambroise church, Paris, France, Europe

The bazaar, Kashan City, Isfahan Province, Iran, Middle East

Ahir Woman in traditional colorful cloth carrying water in a clay jug on her head, Great Rann of Kutch Desert, Gujarat, India, Asia

Man of the Dhebariya Rabari community in traditional cloth with a dromedary, Great Rann of Kutch Desert, Gujarat, India, Asia

Small child stroking a statue during the Buddha's Birthday at Chogye Sa, near Seoul, South Korea, Asia

Tartan cloth, MacNaughtons Emporium, Pitlochry, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Pohyon-sa, a Korean Buddhist temple located in Hyangsan county in North Pyongan Province, Myohyang Mountains area, North Korea, Asia

Sitting room, White Palace, the last Shah's Summer Palace, Sa'ad Abad, Tehran, Iran, Middle East

Display of white linen in draper's shop in Kloskanthuis, Ghent, Belgium

Dining room, White Palace, the last Shah's Summer Palace, Sa'ad Abad, Tehran, Iran, Middle East

Byzantine silk textiles dating from 10th century, Treasury of Ste. Foy, Conques, Midi-Pyrenees, France, Europe

Necklaces on a market stall in the Cloth Hall on Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Krakow (Cracow), Poland, Europe

Married identical twins, White Palace, the last Shah's Summer Palace, Sa'ad Abad, Tehran, Iran, Middle East

Cloth Hall and the Town Hall Tower in the Main Square in the medieval old town, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Krakow, Poland, Europe

Cloth Hall and the Adam Mickiewicz Monument, in the Main Square, medieval old town, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Krakow, Poland, Europe

Statue of the romantic poet Mickiewicz in front of The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Old Town District (Stare Miasto), Krakow (Cracow), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Poland, Europe

Applying wax during the making of batik cloth, Duyun, Guizhou, China, Asia

Border of batik cotton cloth, Java, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Old Town District (Stare Miasto), Krakow (Cracow), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Poland, Europe

Close up of a row of stone figures wearing red cloth, Sanzen In shrine, Kyoto, Kansai, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Statue of the romantic poet Mickiewicz in front of The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Old Town District (Stare Miasto), Krakow (Cracow), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Poland, Europe

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Old Town District (Stare Miasto), Krakow (Cracow), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Poland, Europe

Making Tapa, a traditional cloth for decoration, Fiji, South Pacific, Pacific

Adam Mickiewicz Monument and Cloth Hall in the main Square in the medieval old town, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Krakow, Poland, Europe

Close-up of tortillas in a tray covered by a red cloth, in Mexico, North America

Patchwork quilt, San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala, Central America

Street vendor selling African cloths, Lome, Togo, West Africa, Africa

Typical Polish goods on market stalls in the Cloth Hall on Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Krakow (Cracow), Poland, Europe

Statue of the romantic poet Mickiewicz in front of The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Old Town District (Stare Miasto), Krakow (Cracow), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Poland, Europe

Painting on a door of a temple at Haein-Sa, Korea, Asia

Detail of local weaving, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Central America

Altar cloth, Sainte-Marie des Batignolles church, Paris, France, Europe

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Old Town District (Stare Miasto), Krakow (Cracow), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Poland, Europe

Ngada woman weaving ikat cloth, Bena Village, Flores, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Colourful beach wraps for sale, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, Central America

Seminarist's cloth, Beit Jala, Palestine National Authority, Israel, Middle East

Sa Punta beach, near Begur, Costa Brava, Catalonia, Spain, Mediterranean, Europe

Cloth Hall in the main square, Rynek Glowny, in the medieval old town, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Krakow, Poland, Europe

Statue of Adam Mickiewicz in front of the Cloth Hall on the Main Square in Krakow, Malopolska, Poland, Europe

Colourful beach wraps for sale, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, Central America

Typical Polish goods on market stalls in the Cloth Hall on Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Krakow (Cracow), Poland, Europe

Portrait of a Masai in now traditional red, checked cloth, Masai Mara, Kenya, East Africa, Africa

The market hall in Cloth Hall in the medieval old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Krakow, Poland, Europe

Sa Tuna, near Begur, Costa Brava, Catalonia, Spain, Mediterranean, Europe

Colourful beach wraps for sale, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, Central America

Old man in white cloth wearing hat with Ethiopian flag, Lalibela, Ethiopia, Africa

Colourful beach wraps for sale, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, Central America

Textiles from Padaung tribe, Shan State, Myanmar (Burma), Asia

Little girl outside yurt, Altyn-Arashan near Kara-Kol, Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia

Weekly market, Antigua, Guatemala, Central America

Santa Clara la Laguna market, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, Central America

Sunday market, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Central America

Santa Clara la Laguna, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, Central America

Weekly market of Solola, Guatemala, Central America

Sunday market, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Central America

Sunday market, Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Weekly market, San Francisco El Alto, Guatemala, Central America

Sunday market, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Central America

Saturday market, Totonicapan, Guatemala, Central America

Naga tribal groups lined up waiting for the arrival of the General, (the shorts are not part of their traditional clothes but supplied by the govenment, for them to wear in place of their traditional loin cloth), wearing headdresses made of woven cane decorated with wildboar teeth, bear fur and topped with hornbill feather, with tiger jaw necklaces, Naga New Year Festival, Lahe village, Sagaing Division, Myanmar (Burma), Asia

Monks offer butter lamps. Bodgaya, india. Monks offer butter lamps in front of mahabodhi temple marks site of buddha’s enlightment twenty-five hundred years. centuries have made pilgrimages across himalayas to sites connected with life of historical buddha. From a tantric perspective, pilgrimage is more than paying homage at sacred sites. Rather, it is that activities performed at these places become a memory of place itself. By attuning oneself through ritual meditation to this timeless presence, similar experiences be evoked

Humla, shamans. shamans central to ceremonial life, with their spirit possession high point of every collective ritual. Their white wool tufted turnans match description of zhangzhung’s priests

Mauritius, Grand Bay, Batik Pareos

Wearing tree bark cloth masks and skirts, dancers representing fish spirits are invited during the season of the peach palm harvest to drink the juice. it is a feast and ritual exchange: the host group offers the spirits large quantities of peach palm juice, smoked meat and fish, and shaman-blessed coca and snuff. the visitors are the costumed dancers impersonating animal spirits. people eat the meat and fish, animal spirits receive the fruits of peach palm, which are cultivated, harvested, and processed by humans. this exchange expresses the idea that people and animals depend on each other for survival and reproduction. vaupes basin, eastern colombia amazon, population: 600

Nepal. Ritual, sonam/boom. Lobsangs cremation. Humla. traveler reached of journey! In freedom of infinite he is free from sorrow, fetters that bound thrown away, burning fever of life is no more,oesays dharmapada. Lobsang having spent whole life preparing moment of death, finds liberation on february 14, 1986. Extensive ritual follows cremation-traditionally a forty nine period, sonam lama rattles damaru. A small ritual drum to have origin in - shamanism. damaru, used as a tantric device to summon gods ward evil spirits, once made from human skull bone dreid human skin as a reminder of impermanence of body. Boom lama blows a kangling, a human thigh-bone horn. kangling is used in exorcism is capable of gods demons. Traditionally, best bones a kangling come from brahmans, particularly sixteen-year- brahman girls-or from tigers. On makeshift altar rest chhome, votive lamps filled with butter, cups of water, grains, tormas, holy food made of barley meal decorated with medallions of butter offered to gods. Alone, boom lama continues prayers of deceased

Trulshig rinpoche, blesses. Tulshig rinpoche blesses. Tulshig rimpoche s followers believe that he, like many other lamas, reassumes a human body after death in order to return to disciples. previous incarnation of tulshig rimpoche spent several years at dzarongpu monastery (highest monastery in world located at 16,500’ within sight of northern side of mt everest) served as of ngawong tenzin teachers. He promised to return in next life, so at tulshig s death ngawong tenzin norbu sought found reincarnation. current tulshig rimpoche then came to monastery studied with ngawong tenzin norbu. relationship between teacher student, in which a teacher returns to study from former student, maintains lineage over generations. Bhutan

Traditional wooden Smack fishing boats off Brightlingsea, Essex, UK.

Table cloth cloud effect over Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.

These reindeer peoples' entire existence is based around their herds of reindeer, which provide milk, skins for clothes, horn for carving and medicine, transport and occasionally, meat. the tsaatan are part of the tuvan ethnic group, which inhabits the tuvan republic of russia. there are only about 200 tsaatan in total, spread over 100,000 sq km of northern mongolia. they are nomadic, often moving their small encampments every three to four weeks, searching for special types of grass and moss loved by the reindeer. the tsaatan are strong practitioners of shamanism. west taiga, northern mongolia

Berber Moroccan woven cloth rugs and bags in the Anti Atlas mountains of Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Traditional Moroccan cloth in a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Reflection. Tibetan peoples home, rajpur, india. India. I remember this body when it a childs as it gradually took form of a youth. very limb is twisted worn. It is my body, it delights even my eyes.,seventh dalai lama, meditations on ways of impermanence. tradition regards meditation on death impermanence only as a useful technique keeping mind intensely focused. It also sees it as a method unlocking deepest secrets of life

Xavante race. race is really a race at, it’s a ceremony, an aesthetic event. Xavante nonplused by notions of winning losing. logs carried by team, representing oppositions that xavante believe go to make up universe. running of logs expresses dynamic tension between opposing principles. purpose of ceremonies to stress that these antithesis need tear world apart. Opposing be controlled to complement each other create equilibrium harmony. Brazil

At tnorbutse,monks at triten norbutse vigorously debate philosophy, melting away incorrect views like butter in. Bonpo monks debate at triten norbutse monastery. Nepal

Monks offer butter lamps. Kalachakra initiation, bodhgaya. India. Monks attending kalachakra initiation at mahaboudhi temple in bodhgaya, india. mahabodhi temple marks site of buddhas enlightment twenty-five hundred years. centuries have made pilgrimages across himalayas to sites connected with life of historical buddha. From a tantric perspective, pilgrimage is more than paying homage at sacred sites. Rather, it is that activities performed at these places become a memory of place itself. By attuning oneself through ritual meditation to this timeless presence, similar experiences be evoked

Bonpo conch shell, t. Norbutse. young monks, wearing ceremonial hats, blow on conch shells to call monks to prayer. yellow cylindrical object behind them is a victory banner, symbolizing monasteries defeat of negativity evil intention on premises

Sunday market, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Central America

An old man working a loom to weave traditional Moroccan cloth in a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Monks offer butter lamps. Bodgaya, india. Monks offer butter lamps in front of mahabodhi temple marks site of buddhas enlightment twenty-five hundred years. centuries have made pilgrimages across himalayas to sites connected with life of historical buddha. From a tantric perspective, pilgrimage is more than paying homage at sacred sites. Rather, it is that activities performed at these places become a memory of place itself. By attuning oneself through ritual meditation to this timeless presence, similar experiences be evoked

Nomad birth. Today i born into family of buddhas; a child of buddhas i’ve become today. -santideva. Tibet

A Nepalese woman in traditional clothing weaving cloth on a hand loom in the Himalayan foothills, Nepal, Asia

Budhist lamas in prayer, bodhgaya, india. Monks attending kalachakra initiation at mahaboudhi temple in bodhgaya, india. mahabodhi temple marks site of buddha’s enlightment twenty-five hundred years. centuries have made pilgrimages across himalayas to sites connected with life of historical buddha. From a tantric perspective, pilgrimage is more than paying homage at sacred sites. Rather, it is that activities performed at these places become a memory of place itself. By attuning oneself through ritual meditation to this timeless presence, similar experiences be evoked

Elephant painting with its trunk, Mae Sa Elephant Camp, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Monks offer butter lamps prayer, kalachakra initiation, bodhgaya. India. Monks attending kalachakra initiation at mahaboudhi temple in bodhgaya, india. mahabodhi temple marks site of buddha’s enlightment twenty-five hundred years. centuries have made pilgrimages across himalayas to sites connected with life of historical buddha. From a tantric perspective, pilgrimage is more than paying homage at sacred sites. Rather, it is that activities performed at these places become a memory of place itself. By attuning oneself through ritual meditation to this timeless presence, similar experiences be evoked

Traditional Moroccan cloth in a souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Sunday market, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Central America

A man dyeing cloth in the dyers souk in Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa, Africa