Historical Places on Earth

Monday, May 29, 2006

It's a Prambanan History

Prambanan, named after the village, is the biggest temple complex in Java. There are 224 temples in the complex; three of them, the main temples are Brahma Temple in the north, Vishnu Temple in the south, and the biggest among the three which lies between Brahma and Vishnu temples is Shiva Temple (47 meters high).

These three ancient masterpieces of Hindu architecture are locally referred to as Prambanan Temple or Lorojonggrang Temple. One of its appeals is the wealth of sculptural detail. The well known one is on the inner wall of the balustrade, the wonderfully vital and utterly engrossing Ramayana epic.

Perhaps one of the most majestic temples in the South-East Asia, Prambanan attracts many admirers each year from abroad. Situated about 15 kilometers from Yogyakarta, the top of the main shrine is visible from a great distance and rises high above the scattered ruins of the former temples.

History of Prambanan
An inscription that could be related to the Prambanan temples, was Siwaghra inscription (778 C / 856 M). The insription mentioned about inauguration a holy building for the God Civa. Then the name of king Jatiningrat (Rakai Pikatan) in which has to fight againts Balaputra, and after he won the war he gave the kingdom to Dyah Pitaloka (Rakai Kayu wangi 851-852). In that inscription was also detaily saod about the Hindusts holy building, as well as mentioning about Dwarapala.

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Sunday, May 28, 2006

Holy Temple, Borobudur

Borobudur is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indonesia. It is located in the province of Central Java, 40 kilometers (25mi) north-west of Yogyakarta. It is a Buddhist stupa related to the Mahayana tradition, and is the largest Buddhist monument on earth. It was built between 750 and 850 CE by the Javanese rulers of the Sailendra dynasties.
Viewed from above, Borobudur takes the form of a giant mandala, symbolically depicting the path of the bodhisattva from samsara to nirvana, through the story of Sudhana described in the Gandavyuha Sutra, a part of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Some scholars think that this massive monument is actually a gigantic textbook of Buddhism to help people to achieve enlightenment. To read this Buddhist textbook in stone requires a walk of more than two miles. The walls of the galleries are adorned with impressive reliefs illustrating the life of Buddha Shakyamuni and the principles of his teaching.
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Thursday, May 25, 2006

Mecca, the holy city

Mecca, a holy land for the moslems.

There is a square building known as the Kaaba (Arabic for 'cube), where the moslems all over the world visit and do the worship.