Nor is it known why the image of the Buddhist goddess Tara—a green-skinned, many-armed protector—was accorded such prominence in the Sumtsek paintings. Much about Alchi remains baffling.

Peasants labored in paddy fields, protected at intervals by gleaming white statues of Phat Ba Quan Am, a Buddhist goddess of compassion. I stopped at a flower farm, where the owner, in his mid-40s ...

Welcome to the gateway of the Asia Pacific. Enhance your major with an Asian Studies minor that promotes global awareness, allowing you to create a personalized, multidisciplinary specialty with the ...