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The Dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pāli: Dhammacakka; Tibetan: འཀོར་ལོ། (chos kyi 'khor lo); Chinese: 法輪; pinyin: fălún), lit. 'Wheel of Dharma' or 'Wheel of Law' is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism. A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism. It is one of the Ashtamangala symbols.<br/><br/> Si Thep, also Sri Thep, (7th – 14th century CE) is an ancient ruined town in Northeast Thailand. Many architectural structures still remain to indicate its past prosperity. It was once the centre of contact between the Dvaravati Kingdom in the central plain basin of Thailand and the Khmer Kingdom in the Northeast.<br/><br/> A twin- city, there were over one hundred ancient sites all built with bricks and laterite. There are also remains of several ponds spread out all over the area. Most of the ancient relics recovered are architectural by nature such as elaborate lintels and sema stones. A few of the human skeletons discovered are still adorned with ornamental pieces.
The Dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pāli: Dhammacakka; Tibetan: འཀོར་ལོ། (chos kyi 'khor lo); Chinese: 法輪; pinyin: fălún), lit. 'Wheel of Dharma' or 'Wheel of Law' is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism. A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism. It is one of the Ashtamangala symbols.<br/><br/> In 1487 the King Tilokarat, 9th of the Mangrai monarchs, died, leaving the throne to his grandson, King Yot Chiang Rai (1487-95). According to the Yonok Chronicle, during Yot Chiang Rai’s reign, an itinerant monk was wandering through the forest area between Chiang Mai City and Doi Suthep when he saw miraculous rays of light emanating from the ground beneath a large, old tree. On learning of this, King Yot Chiang Rai was curious, and set out on elephant back to investigate, vowing: ‘if there are sacred relics to be found, and I am fortunate enough to become a patron of Buddhism, then let the elephant stop where the relics are buried’.<br/><br/> In time the elephant did stop, and a container ‘in Chiang Saen style’ was unearthed, containing a tooth thought to be that of the Buddha. Yot Chiang Rai venerated the relic and held a great religious celebration at which the tooth ‘shone with a radiance like the moon at the start of the lunar month’. It was then placed in a gold reliquary, and installed in a chedi that was constructed at the place where it had been found. This marked the foundation of Wat Rampoeng Tapotharam.<br/><br/> In 1974, Phrakhru Pipatkanapibarn, the abbot of Wat Muang Mang in Chiang Mai’s Haiya District, decided to establish a meditation centre at Wat Rampoeng. It has remained an internationally recognised meditation centre ever since.
Wat Phuak Hong (วัดพวกหงษ์), the 'Temple of the Flight of Swans', is located in the southwest corner of Chiang Mai Old City. A typical small Lan Na temple, it is chiefly notable for the round stupa that stands to the west of the viharn. Built in the 16th century, the rounded structure has seven diminishing tiers encircled by a total of 52 niches for images of the Buddha,some of which survive today, though in a rather damaged condition.<br/><br/> This unusual structure, one of only four round, stepped stupas in northern Thailand, is sometimes described as a pagoda, while some experts suggest it shows signs of influence from neighbouring Yunnan Province in China. An alternative explanation is that it is a round version of the square stepped stupas dating from the 12th century found in nearby Lamphun.<br/><br/> The Dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pāli: Dhammacakka; Tibetan: འཀོར་ལོ། (chos kyi 'khor lo); Chinese: 法輪; pinyin: fălún), lit. 'Wheel of Dharma' or 'Wheel of Law' is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism. A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism. It is one of the Ashtamangala symbols.<br/><br/> King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning "new city") in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand.
The Dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pāli: Dhammacakka; Tibetan: འཀོར་ལོ། (chos kyi 'khor lo); Chinese: 法輪; pinyin: fălún), lit. 'Wheel of Dharma' or 'Wheel of Law' is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism. A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism. It is one of the Ashtamangala symbols.<br/><br/> Wat Phra Singh or to give it its full name, Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn, was first constructed around 1345 by King Phayu, 5th king of the Mangrai Dynasty.<br/><br/> King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning "new city") in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand.
The Puning Temple (Chinese: 普宁寺; pinyin: Pǔníng Sì; literally: 'Temple of Universal Peace' and commonly called the Big Buddha Temple) is a Qing dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built in 1755, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796 CE) to show the Qing's respect for Tibetan Buddhism.<br/><br/> In 1703, Chengde was chosen by the Kangxi Emperor as the location for his summer residence. Constructed throughout the eighteenth century, the Mountain Resort was used by both the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. The site is currently an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since the seat of government followed the emperor, Chengde was a political center of the Chinese empire during these times.<br/><br/> Chengde, formerly known as Jehol, reached its height under the Qianlong Emperor 1735-1796 (died 1799). The great monastery temple of the Potala, loosely based on the famous Potala in Lhasa, was completed after just four years of work in 1771. It was heavily decorated with gold and the emperor worshipped in the Golden Pavilion. In the temple itself was a bronze-gilt statue of Tsongkhapa, the Reformer of the Gelugpa sect.
The coat of arms features a gold lion passant, holding a sword in its right fore paw (the same lion from the flag of Sri Lanka) in the centre on a maroon background surrounded by golden petals of a Blue Lotus the national flower of the country. This is placed on top of a traditional grain vase that sprouts sheaves of rice grains that circle the border reflecting prosperity. The crest is the Dharmacakra, symbolizing the country's foremost place for Buddhism and just rule. Traditional Sinhalese heraldic symbols for the sun and the moon form the supporters.<br/><br/> Sri Lanka had always been an important port and trading post in the ancient world, and was increasingly frequented by merchant ships from the Middle East, Persia, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The islands were known to the first European explorers of South Asia and settled by many groups of Arab and Malay merchants.<br/><br/> A Portuguese colonial mission arrived on the island in 1505 headed by Lourenço de Almeida, the son of Francisco de Almeida. At that point the island consisted of three kingdoms, namely Kandy in the central hills, Kotte at the Western coast, and Yarlpanam (Anglicised Jaffna) in the north. The Dutch arrived in the 17th century. The British East India Company took over the coastal regions controlled by the Dutch in 1796, and in 1802 these provinces were declared a crown colony under direct rule of the British government, therefore the island was not part of the British Raj. The annexation of the Kingdom of Kandy in 1815 by the Kandyan convention, unified the island under British rule.<br/><br/> European colonists established a series of cinnamon, sugar, coffee, indigo cultivation followed by tea and rubber plantations and graphite mining. The British also brought a large number of indentured workers from Tamil Nadu to work in the plantation economy. The city of Colombo was developed as the administrative centre and commercial heart with its harbor, and the British established modern schools, colleges, roads and churches that introduced Western-style education and culture to the Ceylonese.<br/><br/> On 4 February 1948 the country gained its independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. It changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972.
The Dvaravati (Thai: ทวารวดี, RTGS: Thawarawadi) period lasted from the 6th to the 13th centuries. Dvaravati refers to both a culture and a disparate conglomerate of principalities.<br/><br/> By the 10th century, Dvaravati began to come under the influence of the Khmer Empire and central Thailand was ultimately invaded by the Khmer king Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century. Haripunchai survived its southern progenitors until the late 13th century AD. when it was incorporated in the Lanna Kingdom. The people of the region used the ancient Mon language, but whether they were ethnically Mon is unknown. There is evidence that these principalities may comprise many cultural groups of people, including Malays and Khmers. The theory of Thai migration into Dvaravati has been refuted and is now known to have happened much later.<br/><br/> The term Dvaravati derives from coins which were inscribed in Sanskrit with śrī dvāravatī. The Sanskrit word dvāravatī means 'with many gates'. Its name may derive from the mythical city of Dvāraka in ancient India.<br/><br/> Little is known about the administration of Dvaravati. It might simply have been a loose gathering of principalities rather than a centralised state, expanding from the coastal area of the upper peninsula to the riverine region of Chao Phraya river. Hinduism and Buddhism were significant. The main settlements appear to have been at Nakhon Pathom, U Thong and Khu Bua west of the Chao Phraya. Other towns like Lavo (modern-day Lopburi) or Si Thep were also clearly influenced by the Dvaravati culture, but probably were not part of the Dvaravati state.<br/><br/> Dvaravati was heavily influenced by Indian culture, and played an important role in introducing Buddhism and particularly Buddhist art to the region.