In pictures: Child monks of the Himalayas Published duration 9 January 2017

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

High in the Himalayas, young novice monks in maroon robes take their lessons in the 15th-Century Thiksey monastery near Leh in Ladakh - known as the land of high passes - in Indian-administered Kashmir, disputed territory between India and Pakistan.

With its whitewashed ramparts sitting over 3,000m high on a rocky crag, with breathtaking views across the Indus Valley to the mountains beyond, Thiksey is home to a monastic community affiliated with the "yellow hat" or Gelukpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

Tibetan Buddhism is a religion in exile, forced from its homeland when Tibet was conquered by the Chinese. Many Tibetan families in India send at least one child to a monastery to learn about their own culture, language and religion.

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

Visual aids to understanding are very common in Tibetan Buddhism - pictures, structures of various sorts and public prayer wheels and flags provide an ever-present reminder of the spiritual domain in the physical world.

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development. Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life and do not worship gods or deities.

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

image copyright Cathal McNaughton/REUTERS

All photographs by Cathal McNaughton / Reuters