With text and photographs, this book is an account of one year spent living in Kathmandu and exploring its historical architecture, iconography, and people. The final chapter describes a three-week trek to Mt.Everest.
The title of the book derives from the Tantric call to the eternity within oneself:
“Aum Mani Padme Aum” : “Behold, the Jewel in the Lotus.”
The lotus symbolizes creation, the jewel, the adamantine void.
A mandala is a graphic symbol of the universe, often in the form of a circle enclosing a square.
In ancient usage, it also signified an administrative unit, like the nation of Nepal.