Archive for March, 2010

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    Angkor Thom – The Squared City of Alluring Temples and Riches
    Angkor Thom, meaning the great city in Khmer, refers to majestic and ancient city of Buddhists holding many interesting sights for the tourists. It is mostly popular among the people across the globe for its great Bayon Temple. Discovered by the Angkor’s best king, Jayavarman VII during his reign from 1181 to 1219 A.D who came after the Chams conquered the former Khmer capital, the city might have hold around one million inhabitants. Ah! That’s a huge accommodation! The city of Angkor Thom was made in a four-equally sided squared wall whose each side run parallel to the corresponding four directions. This 12 km wall (jayagiri) formed the guard of the city that was 8 m in height along a 100 m moat that once was the home of wild crocodiles. Each side of the wall holds a gate in the middle via which a causeway passes across the  [...]
    Posted at March 18th, 2010 in Buddhist Temples
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    Bayon Temple is a Blend of Buddhists Teachings and Hindu Cosmology
    Situated just north of the Angkor Wat temple in the ancient Angkor Thom city, the magnificent Bayon temple is the Buddhist holy place of worship that implements the aspects of Hindu mythology and cosmic world. Standing since the 12th century exactly in the middle of the walled city, it was constructed by King Jayavarman VII in 1190 A.D. The city’s border  erected in a square layout each side corresponding to each of the four directions and the temple’s intended central location within it signify the crossroads of paradise and Earth. Knowing the Temple What render the Bayon temple quite alluring are its four giant stone faces of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara found in all of its 51 small towers encircling the area. The smile on the face has made many to believe to be a sketch of Jayavarman, while several have honored to be  [...]
    Posted at March 18th, 2010 in Buddhist Temples
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    Angkor Wat – The City Temple Largely Influenced by Indian Mythology in Cambodia
    Located in Angkor close to Siem Reap in Cambodia, Angkor Wat is a vast temple complex devoted to a Hindu deity – Lord Vishnu (the Perpetuator of Life). This is evident from the several bas-reliefs exhibiting the scenes of the sacred epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, telling about the lives of two incarnations of Lord Vishnu – Lord Ram and Lord Krishna. Built in the 12th century by the wealthy Khmer king – Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat was intended to be a majestic temple. Appearing on the national flag, the temple yet retains its original Khmer architecture and is so spectacular that it was in the list of the Seven Wonders of the World. After historic invasions, the sacred site was covered by a forest and was run as a Buddhist temple by the Theravada Buddhist monks since centuries wherein the main deity is Avalokitesvara.  [...]
    Posted at March 17th, 2010 in Buddhist Temples
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    Explore the Spiritual Journey of Buddha’s Nirvana at Seokguram Grotto
    The Seokguram Grotto, meaning the Stone Cave Hermitage, is a Buddhist cave temple located on the holy Mount Tohamsan at a distance of 4 km from the Bulguksa Temple in South Korea. Looking over the Sea of Japan from a point at 750 m, this is the only edifice maintained as it was constructed in the Silla era. Its construction started in 750 A.D. that witnessed the complete structure in 774 built by the legendary Prime Minister Kim Daeseong, the builder of the Bulguksa Temple. Legend According to the legend mentioned in the 14th century Samguk Yusa (Legends of the Three Kingdoms) by the monk Iryon, the architect was sculpting the stone of the central ceiling and that it broke leaving cracks suddenly. On this, he shed tears deeply for his this error and then soaked in a day dream. In this dream, he saw that the celestial souls came from  [...]
    Posted at March 17th, 2010 in Buddhist Temples
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    Worshipping Bulguksa is Awesome
    Bulguksa, meaning the Temple of the Buddha Land, refers to a restored Buddhist shrine located in South Korea’s North Gyeongsang region. Discovered by the King Pob-hung in 535 A.D. and now entitled as a UNESCO Heritage Site, the temple exhibits the original Silla architecture in form of historical pagodas and is the holder of seven national gems. Seriously speaking the temple was seen from the point of view of a major role in the past. This is really stunning because today, its name and fame has taken roots far and wide across the globe. Legend It is said that the king’s wife prayed here several times for the kingdom’s welfare and the small wooden temple was called Hwaeombeomnyusa in 535. However, the current look was built in 751 by the legendary Prime Minister Kim Daeseong who had born holding a hallmark having his last’s  [...]
    Posted at March 16th, 2010 in Buddhist Temples
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    Visiting Angkor-Ta-Prohm in its Spectacular Original Setting
    Ta-Prohm (ancestor Brahma) refers to temple at Angkor in Cambodia built mostly in the 12th and 13th centuries. Initially named as the Rajavihara (Monastery of the King) built in the Bayon style, the sacred Buddhist temple is just at a km east of Angkor Thom. The temple was discovered by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII and dedicated it to his mother. What makes this temple unique from the Angkorian temples is that Angkor-Ta-Prohm is still in the same state in which it was ascertained. Further, the camera-friendly trees emerging around the ruins and the forest setting allure thousands of visitors annually. The stele at the Angkor-Ta-Prohm says that the place was once inhabited by over 12,500 people that included 18 high priests and 615 dancers along with extra 80,000 folks in the nearby settlements employed for services. Further, according  [...]
    Posted at March 15th, 2010 in Buddhist Temples
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    Step towards Your Salvation by Praying at the Holy Mount Kailash
    Located in the remote and rugged Himalayan ranges in western Tibet, Mount Kailash is the mysterious peak and origin of the Indus, Sutlej, and Bramaputra Rivers in the Asian continent. Surrounded by two holy lakes of Mansarovar (highest fresh water body on Earth) and Rakshsthal, the sacred mountain holds utmost significance for four religions namely, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and the local Bon. Known as Gang Tise or Gang Rinproche in Tibet and Gangdisi Shan in China, it ascends up to 6714 m and is crisscrossed by many blue streams. Formed with a black rock, the balanced summit appears as a diamond-shaped structure with its four sheer fascias. What is to be noticed here is the manifestation of the ancient sign of good luck here known as swastika naturally formed on its south face where a vertical cut passes intersects its horizontal  [...]
    Posted at March 12th, 2010 in Sacred Mountains
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    Temple of Edfu – The Second Largest in Egypt
    The Temple of Edfu is dedicated to the falcon-headed sky god, Horus with sun and moon as the eyes and is located in the town of Edfu located between Luxor and Aswan in Egypt. Also known as the Temple of Horus built during the Ptolemaic era from 257 to 237 A.D, it is the best maintained temple in Egypt today. The temple of Edfu is the second grand temple after the Karnak temple and exhibits the typical pharaonic architecture through one can make out the original work of these ancient Egyptian temples. Today, Edfu is a famous site that is accessible via a taxi or Nile cruise. The temple is currently oriented north-south and was buried under the sand since many centuries that has actually kept it intact. Horus Attractions Birth House: Before entering via the Pylon from the south, visit this pillared structure exhibiting a Greco-Roman  [...]
    Posted at March 11th, 2010 in Egyptian Temples & Tombs
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    You will Admire the Yonghe Gong Temple
    Known as the Palace of Peace and Harmony Lama Temple, the Yonghe Gong Lamasery is a temple in northeast of the China’s capital city Beijing and is dedicated to the Tibetan Buddhism. Deserving your visit, the temple is a well preserved religious monastery and among the largest of its kind on Earth. Holding 17th century colorful architecture, the art and the structure provide a mix of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. Constructed at the reign of the Qing era, its work began in 1694 that initially was the court of the Prince Yong (Yin Zhen) – the son of the Kangxi Emperor. After being throne in 1722 as Emperor Yongzheng, 50 percent of the structure was made a monastery for Tibetan Buddhist monks. His successor, the Qianlong Emperor, provided a royal grade to the Yonghe Gong temple by replacing its turquoise tiles with yellow tiles  [...]
    Posted at March 10th, 2010 in Buddhist Temples
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