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Tibetan Monks Make Sand Art At Austin City Hall

Tibetan monks at work on their sand mandala in Austin City Hall.
Photo provided by the office of City Council Member Laura Morrison
Tibetan monks at work on their sand mandala in Austin City Hall.

A group of Tibetan monks is creating a work of religious art in Austin City Hall this week. They started on their sacred sand mandala on Monday and will continue through Friday.

On Friday at 5:30, the monks will dismantle the sand mandala and the public is invited to participate. Here's what that ceremony looked like when they did it in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Tibetan monks are visiting from the Gaden Sharste Monastery in Mundgod, India. They are in Austin until April 13 to share and promote their culture.

The monks will perform a blessing at Barton Springs Pool on Saturday at 1 pm. On Monday at 7 pm, Saint John's United Methodist Church is hosting a video presentation during which the monks will provide a "rare peek into the world of a Buddhist Monastery," according to the tour schedule.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.