Refine your search

The results of your search are listed below alongside the search terms you entered on the previous page. You can refine your search by amending any of the parameters in the form and resubmitting it.

Select all Deselect all Add selection to lightbox
Large Small
Thumbnails per page
Wat Suan Dok (Thai: วัดสวนดอก, which roughly translates as Flower Garden Temple) was founded by King Kue Na of Lanna for the monk Sumana Thera in the year 1370 CE. The temple was built in the centre of Wiang Suan Dok, a walled settlement of the Lawa people older than Chiang Mai itself.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai, sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, and is the capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among the highest mountains in the country. The city is on the Ping river, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya river.<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. The ruler was known as the Chao. The city was surrounded by a moat and a defensive wall, since nearby Burma was a constant threat.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with Chao Kavila, after the Thai King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance to its current status as the unofficial capital of northern Thailand, second in importance only to Bangkok.
Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple in the holy city of Vrindavan. It is one of the main International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temples in India and internationally. Hare Krishnas from all over the world can be seen here year-round, which adds color to this ancient ethnic holy city.
Wat Chedi Luang translates literally from the Thai as ‘Monastery of the Great Stupa’. Construction of the temple began at the end of the 14th century when the Lan Na Kingdom was in its prime. King Saen Muang Ma (1385-1401) intended it as the site of a great reliquary to enshrine the ashes of his father, King Ku Na (1355-85). Today it is the the site of the Lak Muang or City Pillar. The annual Inthakin ceremony occurs within the confines of the temple.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city'), sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom.
Wat Chedi Luang translates literally from the Thai as ‘Monastery of the Great Stupa’. Construction of the temple began at the end of the 14th century when the Lan Na Kingdom was in its prime. King Saen Muang Ma (1385-1401) intended it as the site of a great reliquary to enshrine the ashes of his father, King Ku Na (1355-85). Today it is the the site of the Lak Muang or City Pillar. The annual Inthakin ceremony occurs within the confines of the temple.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai (meaning 'new city'), sometimes written as 'Chiengmai' or 'Chiangmai', is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom.
Japan: Gongsun Sheng or Nyuunryo Kosonsho, one of the 'One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Water Margin', hair and garments blown by the wind, seated in meditation on a rock overhanging water. Woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1863), 1827-1830. The Water Margin (known in Chinese as Shuihu Zhuan, sometimes abbreviated to Shuihu, known as Suikoden in Japanese, as well as Outlaws of the Marsh, Tale of the Marshes, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang in English, is a 14th century novel and one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese.
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.
The Kizil Caves (also romanized Qizil Caves, spelling variant Qyzyl; Uyghur: Qizil Ming Öy; Chinese: 克孜尔千佛洞; pinyin: Kèzīěr Qiānfú Dòng; literally 'Kizil Cave of a Thousand Buddhas') are a set of 236 Buddhist rock-cut caves located near Kizil Township (克孜尔乡) in Baicheng County, Xinjiang, China. The site is located on the northern bank of the Muzat River 75 kilometres (by road) northwest of Kucha. This area was a commercial hub of the The Silk Road.<br/><br/> The caves are said to be the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in China, with development occurring between the 3rd and 8th centuries. Although the site has been both damaged and looted, at least 1000 square metres of wall paintings - mostly Jataka stories - remain.
Chua Con Son was a temple built to honour the poet-warrior Nguyen Trai (1380–1442), chief adviser and amanuensis to Le Loi, the general who expelled the Ming Chinese from Vietnam in 1427 and, in 1428, assumed the throne as Emperor Le Thai To.
Legend attributes the first Buddhist doctrine in Burma to 228 BC when Sonna and Uttara, two ambassadors of the Emperor Ashoka the Great of India, came to the country with sacred texts. However, the golden era of Buddhism truly began in the 11th century after King Anawrahta of Pagan (Bagan) was converted to Theravada Buddhism. Today, 89% of the population of Burma is Theravada Buddhist.
Legend attributes the first Buddhist doctrine in Burma to 228 BC when Sonna and Uttara, two ambassadors of the Emperor Ashoka the Great of India, came to the country with sacred texts. However, the golden era of Buddhism truly began in the 11th century after King Anawrahta of Pagan (Bagan) was converted to Theravada Buddhism. Today, 89% of the population of Burma is Theravada Buddhist.<br/><br/> The British conquest of Burma began in 1824 in response to a Burmese attempt to invade India. By 1886, and after two further wars, Britain had incorporated the entire country into the British Raj. To stimulate trade and facilitate changes, the British brought in Indians and Chinese, who quickly displaced the Burmese in urban areas. To this day Rangoon and Mandalay have large ethnic Indian populations. Railways and schools were built, as well as a large number of prisons, including the infamous Insein Prison, then as now used for political prisoners.<br/><br/> Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Rangoon on occasion all the way until the 1930s. Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. Burma finally gained independence from Britain on January 4, 1948.
Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple in the holy city of Vrindavan. It is one of the main International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temples in India and internationally. Hare Krishnas from all over the world can be seen here year-round, which adds color to this ancient ethnic holy city.
Chua Con Son was a temple built to honour the poet-warrior Nguyen Trai (1380–1442), chief adviser and amanuensis to Le Loi, the general who expelled the Ming Chinese from Vietnam in 1427 and, in 1428, assumed the throne as Emperor Le Thai To.
Painting from a watercolour sketch album dating from c. 1897 by a Burmese artist including representations of monks,the Buddha, monasteries, people performing work and trades, elephant, cart race and cremation, domestic, and relaxation scenes.
Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple in the holy city of Vrindavan. It is one of the main International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temples in India and internationally. Hare Krishnas from all over the world can be seen here year-round, which adds color to this ancient ethnic holy city.
Chua Con Son was a temple built to honour the poet-warrior Nguyen Trai (1380–1442), chief adviser and amanuensis to Le Loi, the general who expelled the Ming Chinese from Vietnam in 1427 and, in 1428, assumed the throne as Emperor Le Thai To.
Mihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradhapura that is believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is now a pilgrimage site, and the site of several religious monuments and abandoned structures.
Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple in the holy city of Vrindavan. It is one of the main International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temples in India and internationally. Hare Krishnas from all over the world can be seen here year-round, which adds color to this ancient ethnic holy city.
Mihintale is a mountain peak near Anuradhapura that is believed by Sri Lankans to be the site of a meeting between the Buddhist monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa which inaugurated the presence of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It is now a pilgrimage site, and the site of several religious monuments and abandoned structures.
Chua Con Son was a temple built to honour the poet-warrior Nguyen Trai (1380–1442), chief adviser and amanuensis to Le Loi, the general who expelled the Ming Chinese from Vietnam in 1427 and, in 1428, assumed the throne as Emperor Le Thai To.
Sri Krishna-Balaram Mandir is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple in the holy city of Vrindavan. It is one of the main International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temples in India and internationally. Hare Krishnas from all over the world can be seen here year-round, which adds color to this ancient ethnic holy city.
Chua Con Son was a temple built to honour the poet-warrior Nguyen Trai (1380–1442), chief adviser and amanuensis to Le Loi, the general who expelled the Ming Chinese from Vietnam in 1427 and, in 1428, assumed the throne as Emperor Le Thai To.
Borobudur is an 8th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa.<br/><br/> The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey, the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and the balustrades.
According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles (such as the Dipavamsa), Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 4th century BCE by Venerable Mahinda, the son of the Emperor Ashoka, during the reign of Sri Lanka's King Devanampiya Tissa. During this time, a sapling of the Bodhi Tree was brought to Sri Lanka and the first monasteries were established under the sponsorship of the Sri Lankan king. The Pali Canon, having previously been preserved as an oral tradition, was first committed to writing in Sri Lanka around 30 BCE.<br/><br/> Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any Buddhist nation, with the Sangha having existed in a largely unbroken lineage since its introduction in the 4th century. During periods of decline, the Sri Lankan monastic lineage was revived through contact with Myanmar and Thailand. Periods of Mahayana influence, as well as official neglect under colonial rule, created great challenges for Theravada Buddhist institutions in Sri Lanka, but repeated revivals and resurgences - most recently in the 19th century CE - have kept the Theravada tradition alive for over 2,600 years.
According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles (such as the Dipavamsa), Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 4th century BCE by Venerable Mahinda, the son of the Emperor Ashoka, during the reign of Sri Lanka's King Devanampiya Tissa. During this time, a sapling of the Bodhi Tree was brought to Sri Lanka and the first monasteries were established under the sponsorship of the Sri Lankan king. The Pali Canon, having previously been preserved as an oral tradition, was first committed to writing in Sri Lanka around 30 BCE.<br/><br/> Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any Buddhist nation, with the Sangha having existed in a largely unbroken lineage since its introduction in the 4th century. During periods of decline, the Sri Lankan monastic lineage was revived through contact with Myanmar and Thailand. Periods of Mahayana influence, as well as official neglect under colonial rule, created great challenges for Theravada Buddhist institutions in Sri Lanka, but repeated revivals and resurgences - most recently in the 19th century CE - have kept the Theravada tradition alive for over 2,600 years.