Puja
About this photograph
- Creator
- Ciprian Popoviciu
- Date created
- April 16, 2009
- Location
- Nepal
- License
- This photograph copyright ©2009. All Rights Reserved
See this photograph in context
- Journey to the top of the world: Climbing Mount Everest: This slideshow tells the story of a North Carolina adventurer's ascent of Mount Everest in photos, video, and text, including excerpts from his journal. (Page 8)
Related media
Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for Buddhism, ceremonies, Mount Everest, and Sherpa.
In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
Three men stand near an altar created for a Puja ceremony in the Mount Everest Base Camp. A sherpa, obscured by the Lama behind him is bending over a fire of juniper branches on the altar. Another sherpa in a red jacket stands behind a table of offerings at the right of the altar. A Puja ceremony is officiated by a Lama and two or more monks who ask the Gods for good fortune for the climbers and the Sherpa as they attempt to scale up the mountain. On the altar are offerings of fruit, drinks, chocolate, yak milk butter, sampa cake and fried dough. A blue tarp, covered with mats, is spread on the ground in front of the altar. Large pieces of stone from the mountain stand on top of the altar. They have yellow ribbon tied around them. A pole with juniper branches on the top is propped up on the back of the altar. It also has a large yellow ribbon tied around it. It is a sign of good fortune if a Gorak (raven) lands on top of the pole. Behind the altar, the Khumbu Glacier and the bases of Mount Everest and Mount Nuptse can be seen.
