Theologian Rudolph Otto suggested that ‘numinous’ (a term he used instead of ‘sacred,’ or ‘spiritual’) cannot be fully grasped through reason or rational thought. A knowledge of this essential quality of life, “issues from the deepest foundation of cognitive apprehension that the soul possesses…” As such, a path must be charted, which is what Tantra is, or what pilgrimage allows. The chanting of mantras and making the kora also brings one toward the numinous.

So does the religious art and architecture of the world. My photographs of the sacred architecture of Asia is motivated by these ideas as I seek for myself a glimpse into the numinous. These photographs are not merely physical descriptions of a place. As in all religious art, the process of making the art is akin to a sacred act, and what results is the residue or representation of an encounter with the numinous.