The Russian Buddhists v the billionaire - a photo essay

A small group of Buddhists led by a veteran of the USSR’s Afghan war has spent 21 years establishing a monastery in the Ural mountains. It sits on land claimed by a company belonging to one of Russia’s most powerful oligarchs. After years of delays, a date has now been set for the complex’s removal. Photojournalist Amos Chapple visited the monastery for RFE/RL

Thursday 2 February 2017 03.00 EST

A 7km forest trail leads up to the monastery on the summit of Mount Kachkanar, which rises 888 metres above sea level. After heavy snowfall, the hike can take up to seven hours.

Teams travel by sled down the mountain to collect supplies.

Inscribed on a large rock is a Sanskrit mantra, ‘Om mani padme hum’, indicating the monastery is close.

Mikhail Sannikov, a soldier turned Buddhist monk, founded the monastery in 1995. The 55-year-old abbot saw heavy action as a commander in the Soviet army during the 1979-89 occupation of Afghanistan.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/02/buddhists-v-billionaire-monastery-photo-essay



http://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2017/01/13/daily-life-buddhist-monks-mount-kachkanar-russia/