Tibetan pilgrim guides his flock on sacred Lhasa route

For most Tibetan Buddhists, touring Lhasa's sacred Lingkhor route is a solitary expedition of prayer and reflection – but Talo is never without his sheep.

The 63-year-old has been guiding his flock on a daily pilgrimage for the past eight years, making him a curiosity for visitors to the capital of the Tibet autonomous region.

"The most I had was 13 sheep, but most of them have died. Now I only have three," he said. 

Talo, who like most Tibetans only goes by one name, explained that the animals are tshethar, live gifts to Buddha that cannot be killed or used for financial gain.

"They were offered by others. I just look after them," he said. "I feed them — they are part of my family."

In his right hand is a prayer wheel, which he spins as he walks. His sheep wear small, copper bells around their necks.

"I go with the sheep to walk around the monasteries every morning," Talo said. "I'm a Buddhist and believe we all suffer in the cycle of karma. Sheep don't understand this so I feel compassion for them.

"I believe what we do will lead them to a better life in their next life."

Lingkhor, a major attraction for pilgrims, encircles all the city's major temples, and allows worshipers to pay their respects to their many religious statues more quickly than if they visited all of them individually. To complete the route takes about two hours.

Dradul, a researcher at the Tibetan Academy of Social Sciences, said the Tibetan model is one of harmony between animals and humans.

"People like Talo gain other people's respect in Tibet," he said, adding that it is common for Tibetans to free livestock and release captive water fowl into open waters.

"Doing religious ceremonies together with animals is relatively rare elsewhere," he said, adding that people across the Tibetan Plateau perform religious acts with animals for saga dawa, the fourth Tibetan lunar month, which is regarded as holy.