Devout Tibetan pilgrims

Undated photo shows a group of Tibetan pilgrims making arduous pilgrimage in full-body-length prostration on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in the wind and snow. Tibetan pilgrims fully enjoy the religious freedom to take ritual walks, pay homage to Buddha, burn incense, give alms and conduct other religious activities during traditional religious festival. Tibet reported above 1,700 temples and monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism so far with 46,000 registered monks and nuns. Small prayer halls or shrines are virtually popular in the homes of mass believers. The number of pilgrims heading to Lhasa hits over one million each year.