Eight bombs exploded on July 7th at the Buddhist Mahabodhi Temple near the Bihir State of India. No
one was killed but two Buddhist Lamas were injured. I was far away from the sight of the bomings in the
predominantly Buddhist region of Ladakh. I photographed a candlelight vigil held that night for the injured.
All the prayer wheels that normally line the temple were taken down and put in a room nearby.
People placed candles in place of the prayer wheels, which was extremely eerie because I’ve
never seen prayer wheels removed in the past five years in India.
The town of Leh also shutdown for two days as a result of the bombing. A monk referred to it as
a “band call,” where all shop owners regardless of their religious differences banned together
as a form of unity.
Ironically, TIME magazine published a cover story about the tension between Buddhists and Muslims
in Burma and other parts of Asia the week before the bombings. The fighting in Burma is thought to be
the cause of the attack. Check out the story
Here are a few images from the vigil in Leh:
