Camels adorned with colourful tassels and bridles, Bikaner Desert Festival, Rajasthan state, India, Asia

Kuna (Cuna) woman, Contadora island, Las Perlas archipelago, Panama, Central America

Traditional Rabari tribal embroidered fabrics, Kutch, Gujarat state, India, Asia

Detail of contemporary hand-block printed Jaipur fabric used as curtaining, Samode Palace, Samode, Rajasthan state, India, Asia

Antique Pichwai, painting on cloth of Lord Krishna, in 1970s concrete structured home, Ahmedabad, Gujarat state, India, Asia

Udai Vilas Oberoi resort hotel, Udaipur Lake, Udaipur, Rajasthan state, India, Asia

Toy and Joy contemporary Jaipur hand block printing works, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

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

Camel blanket, Goreme, Cappadocia, Anatolia, Turkey, Asia Minor, Asia

King Harold's foot soldieres with spears and battle axes, Bayeux Tapestry, Normandy, France, Europe

Death of King Harold, Bayeux Tapestry, 69, Normandy, France, Europe

Invasion fleet, William steers ship with signal lantern on mast and stern, Bayeux Tapestry, Normandy, France, Europe

Crowds point to Halley's Comet, February 1066, Bayeux Tapestry, Normandy, France, Europe

Arcades of Cloth Hall, Old Town, Krakow, Makopolska, Poland, Europe

Fabric store, market souq area, Aleppo (Haleb), Syria, Middle East

Fabric store, market souq area, Aleppo (Haleb), Syria, Middle East

Elephant show for tourist, Mae Sa, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The bazaar, Kashan City, Isfahan Province, 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Detail of local weaving, Chichicastenango, Guatemala, Central America

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday market, Chichicastenango, 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

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

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

Mauritius, Grand Bay, Batik Pareos

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

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

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

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

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 wooden Smack fishing boats off Brightlingsea, Essex, UK.

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