Leonid Plotkin | Sacred Mountains of China

Photo © Leonid Plotkin-All Rights Reserved

Travel photographers...brace yourself for a collection of compelling cultural and religious photo essays.

Out of Leonid Plotkin's many photo essays, I chose to feature his lovely work on the sacred mountains of China, which he photographed over several months. The mountains are important pilgrimage sites since ancient times, and total thirteen. The sacred mountains of China are divided into several groups. The Five Great Mountains refers to five of the most renowned mountains in Chinese history, which were the subjects of imperial pilgrimage by emperors throughout ages. In addition, there are The Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism and The Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism.

Apart from this photo essay, there are many others; one more interesting than the other. Bolivia, Chile, India, Nepal, Thailand, Bangladesh, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia...need I to add more?

Another interesting thing...Leonid photographed the Urs of Nawaz Gharib in Ajmer while I was there in May...and yet we don't seem to have run intp each other. I'm not totally surprised of this in light of the crowds, but it's still unusual as there were almost no non-Indian photographers beyond those in my workshop, and 2 or 3 others.

Leonid is a freelance documentary photographer and writer. His work has appeared in publications such as The Guardian, The Observer, The Economist, Penthouse Magazine, Student Traveler, Budge Travel, Discovery Magazine, MSN.com and others.