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The enigmatic Gorakhnath (early 12th century) was born in Northern India, possibly in the town of Gorakhpur in present-day Uttar Pradesh State. By name he is associated with the cow (<i>go</i> in Sanskrit), and according to one legend, he was born through the anal congress of Shiva with a cow, during which Shiva’s seed turned into the child Gorakhnath. Another legend states he was born from the sweat of one of Shiva’s breasts.<br/><br/> Gorakhnath became the disciple of the legendary mystic Matsyendranath (Machhendranath) who had earlier founded the order of the Nathas or Natha-Panthis. The Nathas were a yogic sect, who endeavoured to make the body immutable and immortal.
The port of Beihai on the south coast of China, in Guangxi Province, still sports 19th-century European-style buildings that recall its history as a treaty port (the best examples are near the waterfront); the town is also known for its beaches.<br/><br/> After the 1876 Sino-British Treaty of Yantai, eight Western nations (UK, US, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Italy, Portugal, and Belgium) set up embassies, hospitals, churches, schools, and maritime customs. Today, 15 of these western buildings remain in Beihai.
The Akha are a hill tribe of subsistence farmers known for their artistry. The ethnic group may have originated in Mongolia around 1500 years ago. Most of the remaining Akha people are now distributed in small villages among the mountains of China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and northern Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes.<br/><br/> The Akha began arriving in Thailand in the early twentieth century and continue to immigrate, with some 80,000 now living in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai at high altitudes. They speak Akha, a language in the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman family.
The Akha are a hill tribe of subsistence farmers known for their artistry. The ethnic group may have originated in Mongolia around 1500 years ago. Most of the remaining Akha people are now distributed in small villages among the mountains of China, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and northern Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes.<br/><br/> The Akha began arriving in Thailand in the early twentieth century and continue to immigrate, with some 80,000 now living in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai at high altitudes. They speak Akha, a language in the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman family.
Ko Phangan is 15 km (9.5 miles) north of Ko Samui, and, at 168 sq km (65 sq miles) about two-thirds of its size. The island has the same tropical combination of white, sandy beaches, accessible coral reefs and rugged, jungled interior.<br/><br/> Once the haunt of budget travelers escaping from more expensive Ko Samui, it is today slowly moving more upmarket. Still, the island remains much less developed for international tourism than Ko Samui, due in part to its isolation and in part to its poor infrastructural system. The roads, in particular, remain poor, with many places along the coast only accessible by sea or by pickup truck or motorbike along badly maintained trails.
The Phra I-suan contains a 1 m (3ft) Shiva linga which dates possibly to the 6th century CE.<br/><br/> Nakhon Si Thammarat was the administrative center of southern Thailand during most of its history. Originally a coastal city, silting moved the coastline away from the city.<br/><br/> It is one of the oldest towns in Thailand and most historians recognize the Tambralinga kingdom of Chinese records as a precursor of Nakhon Si Thammarat. With the fall of the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya in 1767 it regained independence, but returned to its allegiance on the founding of Bangkok. In the 17th century British, Portuguese and Dutch merchants set up factories here and carried on an extensive trade.
The Devasathan or Brahmin Shrines are three shrines dedicated to the Hindu gods Shiva, Ganesh and Vishnu. The shrines were originally built in 1784 at the same time as the Giant Swing (<i>Sao Ching Cha</i>) situated across the road. All were built on the orders of King Rama I.
It must rate as one of Bangkok’s most curious sights - the so-called Giant Swing, a 25 m high, blood-red, wooden structure, which stands in front of Wat (Temple) Suthat. The Giant Swing, in Thai <i>Sao-Ching-Cha</i> ('Swinging Pillars'), consists of two solid pillars which are connected at their tops with a wooden beam. From this beam, in days gone by, worshippers of Lord Shiva used to swing in a kind of gondola for the entertainment of their god. They could also earn themselves some cash: a bag of money was tied to one of the pillars and the participants had to grab this with their teeth. Predictably, many fell to their doom, and the festivities, usually conducted in December or January when Shiva was supposed to visit the earth, were discontinued in 1935. The 'Swinging Festival' was one of the numerous Thai rites which had its origins in ancient India.