The Thiksey Monastery, of the Gelugpa Order, is found about 20 kilometers from Leh (Ladakh, India) along the Indus River.
Made from coloured sand, the monks spend hours in the meditative process of creating a Mandala, only to “destroy” it once completed, to symbolise the transitory nature of material life. Even the deconstruction is a very delicate process, to later pass the sand into a river. The same materials are never to be used more than once.