Monks hold quest for calm

EIGHT brightly-dressed Buddhist monks were set to provide a moment of reflection in the midst of the Edinburgh Festival this afternoon.

The monks from the Dalai Lama's Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in India were due to walk the Edinburgh Labyrinth - a circular pathway for a quiet contemplation at Edinburgh University.

Wearing ceremonial clothes, the monks were set to join members of the public for the walk in George Square gardens.

The site of the Labyrinth was blessed by monks from the monastery in 2004 before construction of the granite pathway began.

The pathway, which was completed in 2005, is an exact copy of a 13th-century labyrinth laid into the floor of Chartes cathedral in France.

It is designed to take 20-30 minutes to walk through.