Born a man, Tenzin Mariko, 20, always felt that he was a woman trapped in a man's body.
At the age of nine, Tenzin Mariko's father enrolled him in a monastery to become a monk.
Mariko ended up studying Buddhist philosophy for almost five years.
But later, at the age of 14, when he went to a monastery in Nepal, Mariko decided to abandon the course mid-way.
In 2015, after hiding his 'true self' from the world, he participated in the Miss Tibet pageant.
It was around that time that Mariko decided to ditch the robes of a monk and live as a girl -- he is probably the first transgender to come out in the Tibetan community.
Take a look at this performer, dancer and make up artist's stunning pics on social media photo-sharing site, Instagram.
All photographs: Kind courtesy Mariko/Instagram
According to Mariko, 'To be yourself is not wrong. People don't give you credit to live your life.'
'The second day however, I put on pants and went to the temple. People were shocked. After the teaching everyone was looking at me, saying, 'Look at her!''
Often confronted by people who say stupid things, Mariko says the trick is to 'hear it from one ear and let it out from another.'
'Be true to yourself and never harm other,' she adds.
