Mongolian steppe, Arkhangai Province, 2015.

The eagle hunters must forge an intimate relationship with their birds. Eagles are captured as chicks from their nest in the wild. The training process, which takes three or four years has to be done by just one person in order to develop the necessary bond between master and eagle. Kazakh Eagle Hunter, Western Mongolia, 2015.

Apart from hand prayer wheels there exist large size fixed prayer wheels which are often aligned around Buddhist shrines and are set in motion by pilgrims who circum-ambulate the building in a clockwise direction. Prayer wheels larger than human size are to be seen in separate rooms in Tibetan Buddhist temples and can also be set in motion by pilgrims. With the help of a small bell the number of revolutions can be counted. The cylinders of fixed prayer wheels are often inscribed with the formula “Om mani padme hum” (meaning “jewel in the lotus”) in ornamental Lantsa (Ranjana) letters. Prayer wheels (perhaps more appropriately called “prayer mills”) which are set in motion by wind or water power are also known. They are used for prayer of Tibetan festival. Some experts believe that the prayer wheels evolved from revolving octagonal Chinese bookcases which were first recorded in the 9th century CE. This assumption is supported by the existence of octagonal prayer wheels in Mongolia. Erdene Zuu Monastery, Karakorum, Mongolia, 2015.