The outer kora

Here they are walking the outer perimeter of the monastery complex, always in a clock wise direction. Before Buddhism became the state religion, the Tibetans practised a religion called 'bon' an animistic religion. Some Tibetans still practise 'bon'. The 'bon' people does the kora in an anti clockwise direction. The first great king of Tibet, Tsongsen Gampo, though married to a Tibetan women, also marry 2 other women, a Nepalese princess and a Chinese princess. Both were Buddhist and they converted the king who then made it a state religion. This was in the seventh century. Tibetan Buddhism incorporates some of the 'bon' practices into it. Buddhism came from India.