The last of four programmes Nodrup's Monastery
Presented by Michel Peissel
Karsha, in the Kingdom of Zanskar, is one of the last of the great Tibetan monasteries. The monks live by rules laid down by their founder, the Buddha, more than 2,500 years ago. Like medieval Europe, nearly a quarter of Zanskar's population are monks. They are the second sons of an agricultural community that is rich enough to keep them in the monasteries, but too poor to allow them to stay at home, marry, and multiply. The monasteries may seem an economic luxury, but this is Zanskar's equivalent of Cape Canaveral, and the monks are engaged in the psychic equivalent of a moonshot.
Photography DAVID SOUTH
Sound recordist DAVE BRINICOMBE Film editor PETER SYMES
Producer PETER MONTAGNON