Following the Buddha Through Everyday Life
Bihar Photography
Bihar occupies a singular place in the cultural and spiritual history of South Asia. It was here that Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya, while nearby Nalanda grew into one of the world's great centers of Buddhist learning. Yet beyond these celebrated places, Bihar is also a landscape of villages, markets, seasonal fairs, and busy streets where daily life continues much as it has for generations.
From America, I was hired to photograph a wedding in Bihar. I stayed on and through my readings, I felt inspired to go to the places that were important to the Buddha during his lifetime and to also see these places through the lens of modern life there now, to feel that connection between the ancient and the modern.
This documentary photography gallery moves between sites of pilgrimage and the rhythms of ordinary life, revealing how ancient history remains woven into the present. From Patna's crowded neighborhoods to rural melas and quiet temple towns, these photographs explore a region where faith, community, learning, and tradition continue to shape the character of everyday experience.
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