SAVANNAH - A Savannah writer concerned about recent violence in his city has called on Tibetan monks to bring peace. <br>
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In response to a request from Murray Silver, the monks today started a two-week project to create an intricate mandala, a detailed Buddhist sand design symbolizing the universe. <br>
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The monks create several mandalas around the world each year. They hope to bring peace to Savannah, which, Silver says, is their favorite place to visit. <br>
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Silver lives near the Savannah shopping center where a police corporal was shot last month. A Chatham Count commissioner's son was fatally shot last month, as well. <br>
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The Savannah mandala is a duplicate of one requested by the Dalai Lama that was on exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's Sackler Gallery in Washington soon after the September eleventh terrorist attacks. Both mandalas depict a celestial mansion and are twice as large as a typical mandala.