Tashiding Buddhist Monastery by Sergiy Kadulin
During a 2010 Himalayan trek through Eastern Sikkim, the photographer captured the serene atmosphere of the Tashiding Buddhist Monastery. Focusing on the intricate Mani stone slabs near the entrance, the image highlights the spiritual weight of this site, known as 'The Devoted Central Glory.' The composition masterfully balances the weathered texture of the sacred stones against the backdrop of one of Sikkim’s oldest and most revered monasteries. This photograph is award-worthy for its ability to translate the profound silence and historical sanctity of the location into a compelling visual narrative, reflecting both technical precision and a deep respect for the cultural heritage of the region.
Sergiy Kadulin
Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1967, Sergiy Kadulin balances a distinguished career in the information technology sector with a profound, lifelong devotion to photography. After mastering traditional film techniques and darkroom processing in his youth, he transitioned to digital workflows and further refined his craft through professional studies at the Kyiv School of Photography and the New York Institute of Photography. Specializing in travel and landscape photography, Kadulin seeks to capture the warmth of the world and the beauty of nature, using his lens as a medium to share his personal journey of internal growth and global exploration.
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Expert Photography Reviews · 3
The Weight of Prayer
The air in the mountains has a specific grit to it, a thin, cold sharpness that tastes of dry lichen and ancient stone.
Read the reflection →The Weight of Whispers
Stone is merely earth that has forgotten how to move, yet it remembers everything else. We carve our prayers into rock, hoping that if we press our intentions deep enough into the grain, they might outlast the fleeting pulse of our own lives.
Read the reflection →Reviews & Comments
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1/200sec at f/5, 25mm, ISO 100. It’s a safe, clinical aperture choice. At 25mm, f/5 provides enough depth to keep the Mani stones sharp without turning the monastery background into a smear. It’s technically sound, though I’d have preferred a tighter stop to sharpen the distant architecture. Still, the exposure is dead on. I’ve spent enough time in the mountains to know that light like this is rare. He didn’t waste it. It’s precise work.
Mani stones shouldn’t merely sit in the frame; they must anchor the void. Kadulin’s Sikkim captures the friction between weathered granite and the encroaching Himalayan gloom. It’s here that I feel a sudden, cold shiver—the realization that these carvings aren’t just art, but prayers carved against oblivion. The shadows don’t hide the monastery; they define its silence. It’s a heavy, necessary darkness. When light fails to interrogate the stone, the soul of the place remains unsaid.
The Mani stones sit heavy. They don’t demand attention. They simply exist. I’ve spent minutes staring at the blurred monastery wall behind them, and it’s the distance between the two that catches my breath. It’s quiet here. The texture of the rock meets the soft, out-of-focus air. Nothing here is accidental. The empty corner is not empty. It’s a pause. I feel a sudden, sharp ache to be standing exactly where he stood.