New Delhi: A rare snapshot of the Dalai Lama standing on a mat with his hands folded is part of an exquisite collection of 20 black and white photographs that American Buddhist monk Nicholas Vreeland has put together for an exhibition in the capital.

Titled `Photos for Rato', it doesn't just show the lives of monks through the eyes of Vreeland but also aims at collecting funds for the re-establishment of the Rato Dratsang monastery in Karnataka where he is based.

"All the photographs that you see here have been taken over a period of 25 years and are special. But the one of Dalai Lama is among my favourites. I have photographed him five times until now, and this was the first," he said. "I also like taking pictures of trees, so you will find a lot of them here," he added. The exhibition, at the India International Centre, will culminate Jan 18.

According to Vreeland, a trained photographer, the 14th century Rato monastery in Tibet was destroyed when the Chinese invasion took place in 1959. A few monks of the monastery who managed to escape to India re-established it in Karnataka in 1983.

"I became a part of the Rato monastery and a monk in 1985. At that time there were 12 monks in the monastery and now there are 120. We also receive monk guests from outside who come for learning there. There is a need for more space," Vreeland said.