"Going round in circles" - Temple kora walks in Amdo-Tibet: nékor, གནས་སྐོར , circumambulation
A kora is a circumambulation around a particular feature - perhaps most famously the 52km kora around Holy Mount Kailash - or, more commonly, around a temple complex such as the Barkhor around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.
It is most commonly regarded as a pilgrimage. Perhaps all walks are a pilgrimage? But not all pilgrimages are walked. Many Buddhist devotees complete a kora through prostration.
Pilgrimages and acts of devotion aside, for many Tibetans the kora is merely a daily stroll. A bit of exercise combined with the opportunity to catch up on gossip, or just a chance to meditate with one's own thoughts.
Please enjoy this short slideshow:
It is most commonly regarded as a pilgrimage. Perhaps all walks are a pilgrimage? But not all pilgrimages are walked. Many Buddhist devotees complete a kora through prostration.
Pilgrimages and acts of devotion aside, for many Tibetans the kora is merely a daily stroll. A bit of exercise combined with the opportunity to catch up on gossip, or just a chance to meditate with one's own thoughts.
Please enjoy this short slideshow: