Tagged: temple

Beautiful Borobudur: “Pathway to Enlightenment” in 40 Photos

May 9th, 2011 Permalink

On the island of Java, Indonesia, stands a mountain of a thousand statues which is shrouded in mystery and surrounded by volcanoes. Borobudur, an ancient Buddhist stupa and temple complex, was abandoned for centuries, but no one knows why. In fact, it was forgotten for so long that it was hidden beneath volcanic ash and overgrown by thick jungle for hundreds of years. But now beautiful Borobudur is hugely popular Buddhist monument in central Java. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We love these pics of Borobudur! [40 Photos]

Mt. Merapi erupts from Borobudur horizon

On the island of Java, Indonesia, stands a mountain of a thousand statues. Borobudur is surrounded by volcanoes such as in this photo of Mt. Merapi erupting from the Borobudur horizon. Borobudur shrouded in mystery. In 1814, 200 men set out to search for this legendary mountain near the small village of Boro. For six weeks, they slashed through wickedly thick vegetation and then cleared away tons of volcanic ash. Hidden beneath the debris, they uncovered strange figures carved in stone and they discovered thousands of them! This is beautiful Borobudur. Photo #1 by ctsnow

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Freaky Fengdu Ghost City – WTF China?!? (34 Photos)

April 16th, 2011 Permalink

Most folks have seen some totally freaky things coming out of Japan, bizarre game shows or festivals, and people are like WTF Japan? Well how about WTF China??? Fengdu Ghost City: This place was once ancient temples, but now has become a tacky amusement park. Instead of Mickey Mouse and happy stuff, visitors move closer and closer until visiting Hell. WTF China?!? Fengdu, the “City of Ghosts,” is situated at the northern end of the Yangtze River. It attracts tourists from all over China to learn about Chinese ghost culture and the afterlife. Visitors are constantly reminded here that good is rewarded with good, and evil is rewarded with terrifying and torturous evil. [34 WTF Freaky Photos]

Fengdu Temple

Fengdu Ghost City is about 110 mile (170 kilometers) downstream from Chongqing Municipality on the north bank of the Yangtze River in the People’s Republic of China. Fengu Ghost City is a tourist attraction featured along a Yangtze cruise. Fengdu Ghost City is a place to learn about Chinese ghost culture, the afterlife, and to see what the Chinese would call a “model of hell.” Fengdu became known as Ghost City in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when two Imperial court officials married and settled on Ming Mountain to practice Taoist teachings. The couples’ surnames combined, Yin and Wang, sounded like “King of Hell” in Chinese. They supposedly became immortals. Thus was born Fengdu City of Ghosts – the hell theme and ghosts culture stuck. This photo is of cool Ghost City architecture and a freaky scene on the roof. Photo #1 by Tennessee Wanderer

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Holy Rats! Karni Mata – Rat Temple (32 PICS)

April 6th, 2011 Permalink

Holy rats, rats rats! This isn’t Disney World and Mickey Mouse. In India, there is a temple filled with rats on purpose! It’s called Karni Mata, the Rat Temple, and these photographers were brave enough to get close to the rats so we don’t have to get any closer than these wild photos. At this temple, the rats are considered sacred and are protected. If you kill one, you must replace it with a rat made out of solid gold. [32 Photos]

rat temple - Karni Mata

Karni Mata, the Rat Temple, at Deshnoke, Rajasthan, India. Rats are inside the temple and crawling outside too. In fact, rats are everywhere at Karni Mata! Here, at the Rat Temple, rats are sacred and people consider themselves lucky to get close to hordes of rats. Photo #1 by Enric Bach

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Mystical, Magical & Magnificent Monasteries in Meteora (20 Pics)

February 23rd, 2011 Permalink

In Meteora, Greece, six magnificent monasteries still exist, precariously perched atop 1,300 feet high sandstone pinnacles. Hermit monks constructed the first monastery before nuns came to build too. Access to each monastery was crazy, a leap of faith, climbing rocks, and ladders lashed together or large nets until the ropes would break. The bizarre but beautiful monasteries of Meteora are centuries old and isted by UNESCO World Heritage. We love these 20 pics of Meteora.

Meteora Greece

The caves in Meteora, Greece, had inhabitants for fifty millennia, but due to raids, “hermit monks” moved to the safety of sandstone rock pinnacles in the 9th century and began building monasteries. More monks and nuns came, building more monasteries perched high upon the cliffs. Wikipedia reports, “Access to the monasteries was originally (and deliberately) difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith — the ropes were replaced, so the story goes, only ‘when the Lord let them break.'” UNESCO World Heritage says, “The net in which intrepid pilgrims were hoisted up vertically alongside the 1,224 ft. cliff where the Varlaam monastery dominates the valley symbolizes the fragility of a traditional way of life that is threatened with extinction.” Photo #1 by Vaggelis Vlahos

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