10 Famous Buddhist Temple in The World

Buddhism is a major world religion and philosophy founded in northeastern India in the 5th century AD. It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as “The Buddha”, who was born in what is today Nepal. Buddhism takes as its goal the escape from suffering and from the cycle of rebirth: the attainment of nirvana. There are between 230 million and 500 million Buddhists worldwide. An overview of the most famous Buddhist temples in the world.

10Haeinsa Temple 
South Korea, Info & Images

photo: erinc salor

Haeinsa (Temple of Reflection on a Smooth Sea) is one of the most important Buddhist temples in South Korea. The temple was first built in 802 and rebuilt in the 19th century after Haiensa was burned down in a fire in 1817. The temple’s greatest treasure however, a complete copy of the Buddhist scriptures (he Tripitaka Koreana) written on 81,258 woodblocks, survived the fire.

9Wat Arun 
Thailand, Info & Images

photo: kainet

Situated on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River , Wat Arun (“Temple of Dawn”) is one of the oldest and best known landmarks in Bangkok. The temple is an architectural representation of Mount Meru, the center of the universe in Buddhist cosmology. Despite it’s name, the best views of Wat Arun are in the evening with the sun setting behind it.

8Pha That Luang 
Laos, Info & Images

photo: A_E_P

Located in Vientiane, Pha That Luang (“Great Stupa in Lao”) is one of the most important monument inLaos. The stupa has several terraces with each level representing a different stage of Buddhist enlightenment. The lowest level represents the material world; the highest level represents the world of nothingness. Pha That Luang was built in the 16th century on the ruins of an earlier Khmer temple. The temple was destroyed by a Siamese invasion in 1828, then later reconstructed by the French in 1931.

7Jokhang 
China, Info & Images

photo: ironmanixs

The Jokhang Temple in Lhasa is the most important sacred site in Tibetan Buddhism attracting thousands of pilgrims each year. The temple was constructed by King Songtsän Gampo in the 7th century. The Mongols sacked the Jokhang temple several times but the building survived. Today the temple complex covers an area of about 25,000 square meters.

6Todaiji Temple 
Japan, Info & Images

photo: roybuloy

Todaiji (“Great Eastern Temple”) in Nara is one of the most historically significant and famous Buddhist temples in Japan. The temple was built in the 8th century by Emperor Shomu as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan. Today little remains of the original buildings of Todaiji. The Daibutsuden (“Great Buddha Hall”), dates for the most part from 1709. It houses one of the largest Budha statues in Japan and is the worlds largest wooden building, even though it is only two-thirds the size of the original structure.

5Boudhanath 
Nepal, Info & Images

photo: Ron Layters

Located in a suburb of Kathmandu, Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas in the world. It is the center of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal and many refugees from Tibet have settled here in the last few decades. It is probably best known for the Buddha eyes that are featured on all four sides of the tower. The present stupa is said to date from the 14th century, after the previous one was destroyed by Mughal invaders.

4Mahabodhi Temple 
India, Info & Images

photo: FootFun

The Mahabodhi (Great Enlightenment) Temple is a Buddhist stupa located in Bodh Gaya. The main complex contains a descendant of the original Bodhi Tree under which Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment and is the most sacred place in Buddhism. About 250 years after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, Emperor Asoka built a temple at the spot. The present temple dates from the 5th-6th century.

3Shwedagon Pagoda 
Myanmar, Info & Images

photo: druidabruxux

The Shwedagon Pagoda (or Golden Pagoda) in Yangon, is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Burma. The origins of Shwedagon are lost in antiquity but it is estimated that the Pagoda was first built by the Mon during the Bagan period, sometime between the 6th and 10th century AD. The temple complex is full of glittering, colorful stupas but the center of attention is the 99 meter high (326 feet) high main stupa that is completely covered in gold.

2Bagan 
Myanmar, Info & Images

photo: woowoowoo

Bagan, also spelled Pagan, on the banks of the Ayerwaddy River, is home to the largest area of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins in the world. It was the capital of several ancient kings of Burma who built perhaps as many as 4,400 temples during the height of the kingdom (between 1000 and 1200 AD). In 1287, the kingdom fell to the Mongols, after refusing to pay tribute to Kublai Khan and Bagan quickly declined as a political center, but continued to flourish as a place of Buddhist scholarship.

1Borobudur 
Indonesia, Info & Images

photo: Kenyon College

Located on the Indonesian island of Java, 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Yogyakarta, the Borobudur is the largest and most famous Buddhist temple in the world. The Borobudur was built over a period of some 75 years in the 8th and 9th centuries by the kingdom of Sailendra, out of an estimated 2 million blocks of stone. It was abandoned in the 14th century for reasons that still remain a mystery and for centuries lay hidden in the jungle under layers of volcanic ash.

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Dragon Village at Tasikmalaya, West Java

If you are tired of life in a metropolitan city with its sky scrapers, you should take a few days off to stay in the Dragon village within Neglasari village, Salawu sub-district, Tasikmalaya, West Java.

This 1.5 hectares village is still 'green' and not influenced by modernization. Some 311 people live in this village. You will have to take several hundred steps to cover the villages over 500 meters. You will see hundreds of high ebony trees, large green paddy fields and the long Ciwulang river. In addition, you will feel the cool air and sounds of river waterflows in the distance.

To Do

While taking these steps, you will be amazed by local green houses made of various bamboos and woods. These houses roofs are made of Nipah leafs, palm leafs or reeds and feature bamboo or wooden raised floors.
   
This moslem village in a fertile valley still maintains it‘s long traditions; For instance, the homes must face the north or south, and the mosques, city hall or bale patemon, and paddy granaries, must face the east or west. For years, they never added/reduced the number of buildings to remain 111 buildings total. Additionally, the traditional leaders fuse the government's electricity and prohibit their residents from using electronic appliances. All daily activities are performed manually.

Local inhabitants in the Dragon Village are famous for their simple and harmonious life. They are also known for their friendliness to domestic and foreign tourists. In addition to farming and raising livestock, they also produce handicrafts for souvenirs.
   
The inhabitants still maintain the Hajat Sasih ceremony during Islamic holidays in asking for blessings and safety from their ancestors, Eyang Singaparna, and as gratitude to the Almighty God for what they have.
   
In addition to Hajat Sasih, they also have rituals performed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. During these days, you are not allowed to visit the village because all its residents perform such rituals.

To Stay

This is where you could also go in seclusion, enjoying your stay in local green homes and taking a bath in cool Ciwulan river water. You could also enjoy quiet nights in your room with only a Vayer lamp.

Get There

To reach the Dragon Village, you can take an airplane from Jakarta to Husein Sastranegara airport in Bandung.  From there, you can rent a car or use public transportation to Tasikmalaya or Garut.
 

Tips

Although you are not allowed to listen to your iPod, you could hear birds sing, waters flow, winds blow, insects and frogs and see many shaddy trees. To stay overnight, you have to ask for permission from local officials a few days in advance.

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Exotic Dieng Plateau

The name ‘dieng’ which literally translates as ‘abode of the Gods’ says all you need to know about this collection small ancient temples set in the  remarkable volcanic landscape of the Dieng Plateau. The misty location, sulphurous springs and colored lakes truly make this a place of natural wonder and cultural significance.  

Come here and you will be transported back to ancient times. The temples are remnants from the glorious period of the Hindu empire in Java dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries. Standing on a plateau 2,000 meters (6,500 ft) above sea level, it is the extraordinary setting of these temples which make them most remarkable. It is believed that this place was chosen as the sacred location because of the spectacular landscape.

From the bubbling mudholes, brightly colored sulphur lakes and thick mist surrounding the plateau, visitors will easily understand why the ancient Javanese considered this place to be the seat of supernatural powers. Modern visitors to the plateau are enthralled by the unearthly beauty of this spot, with many finding it quite eerie.   

Each of the small temples is named after figures in the epic tale of the Mahabarata such as Bima, Gatutkaca, Arjuna and Srikandi. It is believed that these temples used to serve as residences of Hindu priests who would spread Hindu teachings.

The natural splendors of this location are fascinating. From lakes with green and yellow hues to the pristine waters of the reflective ‘mirror’ lake, the natural beauty of this spot is superb. The mirror lake is particularly impressive as it offers a perfectly reflective image of the landscape.  While sadly, the impact of logging can be seen as many of the trees surrounding the lake have been cut down, it still remains an impressive natural phenomenon.

Once you’ve walked to the top of the Dieng plateau you will feel like you are on top of the world. It will be difficult to know just where to look as the view from the plateau takes in steaming and colorful lakes, ancient temples and lush green landscape.

For a truly amazing spectacle, arrive at the plateau at sunrise and you will be spoiled with not one, but two amazing views of the sunrise, a ‘golden’ and a ‘silver’ sunrise. This double sunrise is a unique natural phenomenon.  Visitors take in the first ‘golden’ sunrise from a watch tower while the second ‘silver’ sunrise can be seen from the temples.

Even the drive to the plateau offers impressive sights. On the way up, visitors will pass through tobacco plantations and beautiful mountain scenery.

The Dieng people are used to visitors and warmly welcome travelers to the region.

Get There

The easiest way to get to Dieng plateau is by car. It is located in Central Java, around a three hour drive from Yogya or only 25km from Wonosobo.

It is advisable to leave for the plateau early to reach the site before noon. Because of the altitude, the plateau is often covered in mist by early afternoon.

By public transport, you can take a bus from Yogya to Magelang and change for Wonosobo. From Wonosobo, take a minibus to the village of Dieng. The sites on the plateau can be reached on foot from the village of Dieng. If you are driving, parking is available near the main sites.

Tips

The plateau itself is cool, with an average temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius during the day. If you are visiting at sunrise remember to bring some warm clothes.

Image Galleris Click here 

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Indonesia to Host the L-Men Mister International 2010

L-Men, the effective nutrition for body building and athletic performance of active men, will hold the 5th edition of the Mister International male pageant at Central Park in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 20th, 2010. Since its debut in 2006, this would be the first time for Indonesia to host this groundbreaking event. Around 45 contestants throughout the world have confirmed that they will be competing in this event. Mister International 2009 Bruno Kettels from Bolivia will crown his successor at the end of this event. Mister International 2010 will also line up some special performances from notable Indonesian hosts and musicians, such as Cathy Sharon, Steny Agustaf, Krisdayanti, Rini Idol, Duo Percussion, and Rampak Kendang Nusantara. So, Don’t miss it!

For more info, please visit www.l-menmisterinternational2010.com/

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December Highlights In Bali

December seems to be the most special month amongst other months in 2010. Three main holidays from three different religions will appear on December. Surely, as the community who tolerate other religions’ celebration, Balinese will respect any celebrations and hope everything will go smooth. December this year will be also filled by various festal events to welcome New Year 2011. Take a jaunt to Bali and experience the festal celebration of life!




7 December Moslem New Year
The celebration of Moslem New Year is as not festal as the celebration of New Year’s Eve on December 31^st. Even it could be said that there is no celebration, the city is just like usual. No fireworks, no trumpet, no feast. Moslem community goes to mosque, pray, and goes back to their home. However some shopping centers or communication products often give special discount on this day.

8 December Galungan Day
Galungan is Hindus’ main ceremony to celebrate the glory of righteousness against the wickedness. As the sign of the glory, Hindus create Penjor (decorated long bamboo) and stick it in front of the gate. Hence, when you come to Bali on this day you will see how beautiful Bali with the festal decoration of penjor. They celebrate Galungan day during three days. On the core day, Hindus go to temple and enjoy the togetherness with family staying far away from them. Every family cooks traditional dishes such as suckling pig and lawar then on the core of Galungan they gather and eat together.

18 December Kuningan Day
Kuningan is celebrated 10 days after Galungan to pray and demand prosperity from the God and ancestors. Balinese people believe that on this day, the ancestor spirits will return to heaven at mid-day. For this reason they conduct the ceremony and finish all things before 12 pm.

18 December Makotekan
Makotekan is identified as a celebration and ceremony to purify the village and as a symbol of never ending battle between virtue and evil. You can’t enjoy Makotekan at Kuta or Ubud, or Seminyak, since Makoketekan is the privileged ceremony held in Mungu village, Mengwi, Badung. This was a celebration of the glory of Mengwi Kingdom against to Blambangan. All male from Mungu carry Kotekan, long wood decorated with leaves and tamiang and pray firstly to ask for the blessing for the success of Makotekan. They then unite their kotekan forming a mount. Sometimes there is a guy climb it up and stand on the top peak to make another group fall down. It is worth to see! It is a battle where fun covers all the procession.

26 December Pangerebongan
Pangerebongan is another sacred traditional ceremony which aims to protect the village from the disease. This ceremony is also identified as mass trance ritual in which trance people will stab kris to their body.
Unbelievably, they are all ok, without blood or wound. Surely the procession is not all about mass trance. This sacred ritual started at 9 pm till afternoon in the courtyard of Pangerebongan Temple is followed by various rituals such as praying to the Lord, Tabuh rah, summoning ritual, and encircling the wantilan.

25 December Christmas Day
Although Bali Island is dominated with Hindu community but all people enjoy the friendly Santa Klaus in front of the mall entrance or any shopping centers in Bali. All shopping mall will be decorated with typical Christmas-tree decoration. Besides most of great resorts in Bali will do the same; even make special events to mark the coming Christmas. Enjoying Christmas in Bali will be a distinctive experience.

28-30 December Denpasar Festival (Gajah Mada Town Festival)
Starting from 2008 local government of Denpasar holds Gajah Mada Town Festival at Gajah Mada area to recall Denpasar community’s memory. Gajah Mada area was the most interesting area since it provided entrainment as well as shopping center in 1950s. However, nowadays because of the massive modern mall’s development Gajah Mada area turns to be forgotten. By presenting hundreds of various booths showcasing art works from many ethnics, culinary, and band performances, local government has helped Denpasar people to be entertained with something rare to be found in Denpasar. Although there is no official statement that Denpasar Festival will be held in this year yet but for you who plan to have vacation in December should add this event to your list to visit.


31 December New Year’s Eve
Bali will be flocked by many people coming from abroad or other areas in Indonesia to experience how festal Bali in celebrating New Year’s Eve. There will be a lot of fireworks, trumpet, music festival, and many events where people can enjoy the happiness and great entertainments. Welcome the first sun rise in 2011 in the Island Of The Gods.

source : blog.baliwww.com

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Living in the shadow of Indonesia's volcanoes

By Andrew Marshall

Photograph by John Stanmeyer

All hell is about to break loose, but Udi, a 60-year-old farmer from the village of Kinarejo on the Indonesian island of Java, will not budge. Not even though a mere three miles (five kilometers) separates the smoldering peak of Mount Merapi from Kinarejo. Not even though columns of noxious gas and the nervous tracings of seismographs signal an imminent explosion. Not even though the government has ordered a full-scale evacuation. "I feel safe here," he says. "If the Gatekeeper won't move, then neither will I."

Merapi is a natural-born killer. Rising almost 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) over forests and fields, it ranks among the world's most active and dangerous volcanoes. Its very name means "fire mountain." An eruption in 1930 killed more than 1,300; even in less deadly times, plumes drift menacingly from the peak. Some of the surrounding area, warns a local hazards map, is "frequently affected by pyroclastic flows, lava flows, rockfalls, toxic gases and glowing ejected rock fragments." As the volcano's rumbling crescendoed in May 2006, thousands fled the fertile slopes and settled reluctantly into makeshift camps at lower, safer altitudes. Even the resident monkeys descended in droves.

Not Udi and his fellow villagers, who take their cues from an octogenarian with dazzling dentures and a taste for menthol cigarettes: Mbah Marijan, the Gatekeeper of Merapi. Marijan has one of the more bizarre jobs in Indonesia, or anywhere else, for that matter. The fate of villagers like Udi and of the 500,000 residents of Yogyakarta, a city 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the south, rests on Marijan's thin shoulders. It is his responsibility to perform the rituals designed to appease an ogre believed to inhabit Merapi's summit. This time, the rituals seem to have fallen short. The warnings grow more urgent. Volcanologists, military commanders, even Indonesia's vice president beg him to evacuate. He flatly refuses. "It's your duty to come talk to me," he tells the police. "It is my duty to stay."

Marijan's behavior might seem suicidal anywhere else, but not in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,500 islands that straddles the western reaches of the hyperactive Ring of Fire. It's a zone of geophysical violence, a juncture of colliding tectonic plates that loops more than 25,000 miles (40,200 kilometers) around the Pacific. Geography has dealt Indonesia a wild card: Nowhere else do so many live so close to so many active volcanoes—129 by one count. On Java alone, 120 million people live in the shadow of more than 30 volcanoes, a proximity that has proved fatal to more than 140,000 in the past 500 years.

Death by volcano takes many forms: searing lava, suffocating mud, or the tsunamis that often follow an eruption. In 1883, Mount Krakatau (often misspelled as Krakatoa), located off Java's coast, triggered a tsunami that claimed more than 36,000 lives. The name became a metaphor for a catastrophic natural disaster.

For Marijan, though, an eruption is not so much a threat as a growth spurt. "The kingdom of Merapi is expanding," he says, with a nod at its smoldering peak. In Indonesia, volcanoes are not just a fact of life, they are life itself. Volcanic ash enriches the soil; farmers on Java can harvest three crops of rice in a season. Farmers on neighboring Borneo, with only one volcano, can't.

On a less earthly plane, volcanoes stand at the heart of a complicated set of mystical beliefs that grip millions of Indonesians and influence events in unexpected ways. Their peaks attract holy men and pilgrims. Their eruptions augur political change and social upheaval. You might say that in Indonesia, volcanoes are a cultural cauldron in which mysticism, modern life, Islam, and other religions mix—or don't. Indonesia, an assemblage of races, religions, and tongues, is riveted together by volcanoes. Reverence for them is virtually a national trait.

If the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, the government agency that keeps eight seismograph stations humming on Merapi, represents modern science, Marijan, the Gatekeeper of Merapi, is Indonesia at its most mystical. When a Dutch hiker went missing on the volcano in 1996, Marijan reportedly made the thick mist vanish and found the injured hiker in a ravine.

It is often hard to distinguish the kind of volcanic spasm that builds toward a convulsion from the seismic restlessness that settles back into quiescence. But monitoring technology has grown more sophisticated. Overnight, government volcanologists have raised the alert to its highest level. The lava dome might collapse at any moment. Hasn't Marijan heard? The entreaties leave Marijan unimpressed. The alerts are merely guesses by men at far remove from the spirit of the volcano. The lava dome collapse? "That's what the experts say," he says, smiling. "But an idiot like me can't see any change from yesterday."

INDONESIA'S MOTTO, "Bhinneka tunggal ika—Unity in diversity," speaks to some 300 ethnic groups and more than 700 languages and dialects. The government officially recognizes six religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism, but mysticism riddles all faiths and bares their animistic roots. Sumatra, the vast island northwest of Java, is home to the Batak people, converted to Christianity by European missionaries in the 19th century. Yet many still believe the first human descended from heaven on a bamboo pole to Mount Pusuk Buhit, an active volcano on the shores of Lake Toba. The Tengger, Hindus who live around Mount Bromo in East Java, periodically climb through choking sulfurous clouds to throw money, vegetables, chickens, and an occasional goat into the crater. On Flores, the Nage, Catholics like most on that island, are buried with their heads toward Mount Ebulobo, whose cone fills their southern horizon.

Likewise, on largely Hindu Bali, volcanoes are sacred, none more so than 10,000-foot (3,000 meters) Mount Agung, its highest peak. It is said a true Balinese knows its location, even when blindfolded, and many sleep with their heads pointing toward it. In 1963 a catastrophic eruption of Mount Agung killed a thousand people. Others starved to death after ash smothered their crops. "The very ground beneath us trembled with the perpetual shocks of the explosions," wrote an eyewitness. Yet what once was spoken of as divine wrath is now seen as a gift. The rock and sand thrown up by the eruption built hotels, restaurants, and villas for hordes of foreign tourists, who started arriving in the 1970s. Despite attacks by Islamic terrorists in 2002 and 2005, which killed more than 220 people, tourism remains Bali's biggest industry. And by the grace of Agung and its neighbor, Mount Batur, houses that once nestled in fields of chilies and onions now overlook quarries filled with workers shoveling volcanic sand into trucks.

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National Geographic : Merapi Eruption

Nationalgeographic.com

Smoke rises Monday from Indonesia's Mount Merapi, one of the world's most volatile and dangerous volcanoes. Thousands of people living on the volcano's fertile slopes began evacuating as Merapi started erupting Tuesday, sending hot ash and rocks high in the air. (See an Indonesia map.)

Scientists had been warning for days that pressure building in the rumbling volcano has the potential to set off an especially violent eruption. (See related pictures of the ten most dangerous U.S. volcanoes.)

"The energy is building up. ... We hope it will release slowly," Indonesian-government volcanologist Surono told reporters, according to the Associated Press. "Otherwise we're looking at a potentially huge eruption, bigger than anything we've seen in years."

Meanwhile, officials in western Indonesia are racing to deal with the aftermath of a deadly tsunami that struck the remote Mentawai Islands late Monday, killing at least 113 and leaving hundreds more missing. The killer wave, triggered by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake centered offshore of the island of Sumatra, had many recalling the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which devastated the same region.

While it's unclear whether Monday's earthquake and the Merapi volcano eruption are linked, neither event is uncommon in Indonesia. The archipelago sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a series of fault lines that stretches from the Pacific coasts of the Americas through Japan and into Southeast Asia. (See "Deadly Java Quake Highlights "Ring of Fire" Dangers.")

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