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Wat Pho Maen Khunaram is a Mahayana Buddhist temple built in 1959. It mixes Thai, Chinese and Tibetan architectural styles.
Wat Pho Maen Khunaram is a Mahayana Buddhist temple built in 1959. It mixes Thai, Chinese and Tibetan architectural styles.
Kutch (often spelled Kachch) is the northwestern part of the Indian state of Gujarat, divided from the main part of the state by the Arabian Sea and a stretch of salt marshes. To its north lies the Pakistani province of Sind. The name Kutch is said to be derived from the Kachelas, a sub-caste of the <i>lohar</i> (blacksmiths’) or <i>soni</i> (goldsmiths’) castes.
Kutch (often spelled Kachch) is the northwestern part of the Indian state of Gujarat, divided from the main part of the state by the Arabian Sea and a stretch of salt marshes. To its north lies the Pakistani province of Sind. The name Kutch is said to be derived from the Kachelas, a sub-caste of the <i>lohar</i> (blacksmiths’) or <i>soni</i> (goldsmiths’) castes.
Adolf of Germany (1255-1298), also known as Adolf of Nassau, was the son of Walram II, Count of Nassau, and succeeded his father in 1276. When King Rudolf I died in 1291 without managing to secure the election of his eldest son Albert, Adolf was chosen by the Elector College of imperial princes and bishops, thinking him easy to control and manipulate. He was elected as King of Germany in 1292.<br/><br/> Adolf immediately had to pay and make significant concessions to the electors and archbishops who had given him the crown. Adolf had negligible power and influence within his own empire, but he soon tried to break away from the yoke of the electors and bishops who had elected him, concluding pacts with their opponents and breaking promises made but making sure not to be accused of breaching any contracts signed.<br/><br/> The electors grew increasingly wary of Adolf's policies and moves, which were often not in line with their own interests. They eventually banded together and deposed Adolf, charging him with various crimes and of breaking promises made. Albert I, son of the late King Rudolf I, was elected as the new king in 1298, and killed Adolf in battle when the former king refused to give up his power. Adolf became the first physically and mentally healthy ruler of the Holy Roman Empire to be deposed without a papal excommunication first.
The small but historic town of Hoi An is located on the Thu Bon River 30km (18 miles) south of Danang. During the time of the Nguyen Lords (1558 - 1777) and even under the first Nguyen Emperors, Hoi An - then known as Faifo - was an important port, visited regularly by shipping from Europe and all over the East.<br/><br/> By the late 19th Century the silting up of the Thu Bon River and the development of nearby Danang had combined to make Hoi An into a backwater. This obscurity saved the town from serious fighting during the wars with France and the USA, so that at the time of reunification in 1975 it was a forgotten and impoverished fishing port lost in a time warp.
The small but historic town of Hoi An is located on the Thu Bon River 30km (18 miles) south of Danang. During the time of the Nguyen Lords (1558 - 1777) and even under the first Nguyen Emperors, Hoi An - then known as Faifo - was an important port, visited regularly by shipping from Europe and all over the East.<br/><br/> By the late 19th Century the silting up of the Thu Bon River and the development of nearby Danang had combined to make Hoi An into a backwater. This obscurity saved the town from serious fighting during the wars with France and the USA, so that at the time of reunification in 1975 it was a forgotten and impoverished fishing port lost in a time warp.
The small but historic town of Hoi An is located on the Thu Bon River 30km (18 miles) south of Danang. During the time of the Nguyen Lords (1558 - 1777) and even under the first Nguyen Emperors, Hoi An - then known as Faifo - was an important port, visited regularly by shipping from Europe and all over the East.<br/><br/> By the late 19th Century the silting up of the Thu Bon River and the development of nearby Danang had combined to make Hoi An into a backwater. This obscurity saved the town from serious fighting during the wars with France and the USA, so that at the time of reunification in 1975 it was a forgotten and impoverished fishing port lost in a time warp.
That the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur appears so much less cluttered than its counterparts in Kathmandu and Patan is simply due to the earthquake of 1934. The earthquake devastated a large number of buildings in the square and they were never reconstructed.<br/><br/> A minor earthquake in 1988 did further damage. According to the Nepalese chronicles, Bhupatindra Malla had laid out 99 courtyards within the palace compound; in 1742, only 12 remained, and today there are but six.<br/><br/> Durbar Square is now a relatively large open space, surrounded by buildings on its fringes but clear of any constructions in the centre. On the west side, the square is accessed through Durbar Square Gate, built by Bhupatindra Malla (1696-1722) as a main entry point to the area. He also erected the figures of monkey god Hanuman and Narasinha, the half-man, half-lion deity, along the lines of the Hanuman and Narasinha figures near the palace gate in Kathmandu.
That the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur appears so much less cluttered than its counterparts in Kathmandu and Patan is simply due to the earthquake of 1934. The earthquake devastated a large number of buildings in the square and they were never reconstructed.<br/><br/> A minor earthquake in 1988 did further damage. According to the Nepalese chronicles, Bhupatindra Malla had laid out 99 courtyards within the palace compound; in 1742, only 12 remained, and today there are but six.<br/><br/> Durbar Square is now a relatively large open space, surrounded by buildings on its fringes but clear of any constructions in the centre. On the west side, the square is accessed through Durbar Square Gate, built by Bhupatindra Malla (1696-1722) as a main entry point to the area. He also erected the figures of monkey god Hanuman and Narasinha, the half-man, half-lion deity, along the lines of the Hanuman and Narasinha figures near the palace gate in Kathmandu.
The Bhairavnath Temple stands on the eastern side of Taumadhi Tol. Built under King Jagajjyoti Malla (1614-1637), the temple originally possessed only a single floor, but in 1718 Bhupatindra Malla and his son added two floors, and placed a golden roof on top.<br/><br/> The temple is decicated to Bhairavnath, or Akash Bhairav, the destroyer of demons, who was installed 'for the protection of the country and the removal from sin and distress of the people'.<br/><br/> The Bhairavnath Temple is the focus of the Bisket Jatra, the New Year celebrations in Bhaktapur (13-14 April). Small figures of Bhairavnath and his divine spouse Bhadrakali are carried on separate chariots around town, to finally meet at the Bhairavnath Temple in a riotous celebration. Local lore has it that Bhairavnath, when left to his own devices, can become very mean-spirited, and he is in a much better mood when his wife is around. The figure of the feared Bhairavnath, incidentally, is a mere 30 centimetres high, his equally obnoxious wife only 25.
The Bhairavnath Temple stands on the eastern side of Taumadhi Tol. Built under King Jagajjyoti Malla (1614-1637), the temple originally possessed only a single floor, but in 1718 Bhupatindra Malla and his son added two floors, and placed a golden roof on top.<br/><br/> The temple is decicated to Bhairavnath, or Akash Bhairav, the destroyer of demons, who was installed 'for the protection of the country and the removal from sin and distress of the people'.<br/><br/> The Bhairavnath Temple is the focus of the Bisket Jatra, the New Year celebrations in Bhaktapur (13-14 April). Small figures of Bhairavnath and his divine spouse Bhadrakali are carried on separate chariots around town, to finally meet at the Bhairavnath Temple in a riotous celebration. Local lore has it that Bhairavnath, when left to his own devices, can become very mean-spirited, and he is in a much better mood when his wife is around. The figure of the feared Bhairavnath, incidentally, is a mere 30 centimetres high, his equally obnoxious wife only 25.
That the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur appears so much less cluttered than its counterparts in Kathmandu and Patan is simply due to the earthquake of 1934. The earthquake devastated a large number of buildings in the square and they were never reconstructed. A minor earthquake in 1988 did further damage. According to the Nepalese chronicles, Bhupatindra Malla had laid out 99 courtyards within the palace compound; in 1742, only 12 remained, and today there are but six.<br/><br/> Durbar Square is now a relatively large open space, surrounded by buildings on its fringes but clear of any constructions in the centre. On the west side, the square is accessed through Durbar Square Gate, built by Bhupatindra Malla (1696-1722) as a main entry point to the area. He also erected the figures of monkey god Hanuman and Narasinha, the half-man, half-lion deity, along the lines of the Hanuman and Narasinha figures near the palace gate in Kathmandu.
The Royal Palace supposedly dates back to the Licchavi period (5th-13th century), but, with the exception of a few inscriptions, there is little substantial evidence for this. In the earliest inscription, which hails from the year 643 CE and which was found at the Keshav Narayan Chowk, Licchavi King Narendra Deva announced the abolition of three types of taxes, presumably making him popular with his subjects. This indicates that there may at the time have been a palace at the site of Keshav Narayan Chowk, which is part of the present royal palace complex.<br/><br/> The royal palace as seen today in Durbar Square has its origins in the 14th century; however, the most active building period was the 17th century.
The Hanuman Dhoka, or royal palace, takes up most of the eastern side of Durbar Square. Built four centuries ago by Nepal's Malla kings, only a small part of the complex is open to the general public. At the left of the entrance stands a statue of Hanuman, the monkey god of Hindu mythology, after which the palace is named. Within the main courtyard is a likeness of Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Vishnu, disembowelling a demon.<br/><br/> The Nasal Chowk (Courtyard of Dance) derives its name from Nachaleshvar (also Nritshevar), the 'Lord of Dance', a manifestation of Shiva, and there is an inconspicuous shrine to that god on the eastern side of the courtyard. Originally used for dance and theatre performances, at the beginning of the Shah Dynasty, Nasal Chowk became the setting for royal coronations, ceremonies previously held in the adjoining Mul Chowk. In the middle of Nasal Chowk, there is a platform, dating back to 1826, on which King Birendra was officially crowned in 1975 (after having effectively become king in 1972).
In the late 18th century CE, Rana Bahadur Shah, the grandson of Prithvi Narayan Shah, built a Shiva-Parvati Temple on Durbar Square, which was also, in a way, to become a monument to the joys—or vagaries—of married life.<br/><br/> The temple, built on a platform formerly used for dance performances, is dedicated to the divine couple Shiva and Parvati. From an arched, carved window in its upper storey two wooden figures representing Shiva and Parvati look down on the square below. The figures are extraordinarily life-like, and from a distance one may almost be fooled. Their elbows casually rest on the windowsill, and the couple appears the very image of wedded bliss.
Kathmandu is an unexpected and extravagant mixture of peoples and religions, child-goddesses, bare-foot porters padding in back alleys, and sacred cows. The Kathmandu most people come to see is the Old City, a tangled network of narrow alleys, stores and temples located around central Durbar Square.
Encompassing a former royal palace, a wealth of temples and many other monuments, Durbar Square is Kathmandu’s historic and spiritual centre. The square, after years of neglect, was renovated in 1972-75 in the Hanuman Dhoka Project, initiated after the ascension to the throne of King Birendra.<br/><br/> 'Durbar', or correctly darbar, means royal palace or royal court, but the locals prefer to call the square Hanuman Dhoka, 'Hanuman’s Gate', after the narrow palace gate which is guarded by a crimson-red figure of the monkey god Hanuman. The figure was set up in 1862 to protect the gate from ill luck and enemies of all sorts—or, as the Nepalese chronicles put it, from 'evil spirits, witches, and epidemics, such as smallpox'.<br/><br/> Hanuman is worshipped mainly on account of his bravery and strength, and has often been adopted by Hindu soldiers as their patron deity. In times gone by, fortresses were guarded by images of Hanuman hewn into their walls, and the kings of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur displayed Hanuman figures on their banners.
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937, Volkswagen is the top-selling and namesake marque of the Volkswagen Group, the holding company created in 1975 for the growing company, and is now the biggest automaker in both Germany and Europe.<br/><br/> Volkswagen has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time: the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. With these three cars, Volkswagen has the most cars of any automobile manufacturer in the list that are still being manufactured.
Yusup Has was the author of the Uighur text <i>Qutatu Bilik</i> or 'Benefical Lore', one of the greatest works of Uighur literature, and together with Mahmud Kashgari remains among the most respected and revered of Uighur intellectuals.
Kutch (often spelled Kachch) is the northwestern part of the Indian state of Gujarat, divided from the main part of the state by the Arabian Sea and a stretch of salt marshes. To its north lies the Pakistani province of Sind. The name Kutch is said to be derived from the Kachelas, a sub-caste of the <i>lohar</i> (blacksmiths’) or <i>soni</i> (goldsmiths’) castes.
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937, Volkswagen is the top-selling and namesake marque of the Volkswagen Group, the holding company created in 1975 for the growing company, and is now the biggest automaker in both Germany and Europe.<br/><br/> Volkswagen has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time: the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. With these three cars, Volkswagen has the most cars of any automobile manufacturer in the list that are still being manufactured.
Kutch (often spelled Kachch) is the northwestern part of the Indian state of Gujarat, divided from the main part of the state by the Arabian Sea and a stretch of salt marshes. To its north lies the Pakistani province of Sind. The name Kutch is said to be derived from the Kachelas, a sub-caste of the <i>lohar</i> (blacksmiths’) or <i>soni</i> (goldsmiths’) castes.
The Royal Palace supposedly dates back to the Licchavi period (5th-13th century), but, with the exception of a few inscriptions, there is little substantial evidence for this. In the earliest inscription, which hails from the year 643 CE and which was found at the Keshav Narayan Chowk, Licchavi King Narendra Deva announced the abolition of three types of taxes, presumably making him popular with his subjects. This indicates that there may at the time have been a palace at the site of Keshav Narayan Chowk, which is part of the present royal palace complex.<br/><br/> The royal palace as seen today in Durbar Square has its origins in the 14th century; however, the most active building period was the 17th century.
Kutch (often spelled Kachch) is the northwestern part of the Indian state of Gujarat, divided from the main part of the state by the Arabian Sea and a stretch of salt marshes. To its north lies the Pakistani province of Sind. The name Kutch is said to be derived from the Kachelas, a sub-caste of the <i>lohar</i> (blacksmiths’) or <i>soni</i> (goldsmiths’) castes.
The Citadel of Aleppo is a large medieval fortified palace in the centre of the old city of Aleppo, northern Syria. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Usage of the Citadel hill dates back at least to the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE. Subsequently occupied by many civilizations including the Greeks, Byzantines, Ayyubids and Mamelukes, the majority of the construction as it stands today is thought to originate from the Ayyubid period.<br/><br/> Aleppo, the second city of Syria and quite possibly the longest continually inhabited settlement in the world, is of venerable age. So old, indeed, that its Arabic name, Halab, is first mentioned in Semitic texts of the third millennium BCE. Situated in the north-west of the country, just a few kilometres from the Turkish frontier, Aleppo is located at the confluence of several great trade routes and, as a city of commerce, has always been rich.
The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Hanoi, St. Joseph Cathedral was controversially constructed in 1886 on the site of an ancient pagoda just one year after the French took over the administration of Tonkin and Annam. Built in Neo-Gothic style, the cathedral is still one of the most famous examples of French architecture in Vietnam.
Construction of the Qutb Minar was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Sultan of Delhi, and was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. In 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlaq constructed the fifth and the last storey.<br/><br/> Delhi is said to be the site of Indraprashta, capital of the Pandavas of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Excavations have unearthed shards of painted pottery dating from around 1000 BCE, though the earliest known architectural relics date from the Mauryan Period, about 2,300 years ago. Since that time the site has been continuously settled.<br/><br/> The city was ruled by the Hindu Rajputs between about 900 and 1206 CE, when it became the capital of the Delhi Sultanate. In the mid-seventeenth century the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1628–1658) established Old Delhi in its present location, including most notably the Red Fort or Lal Qila. The Old City served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1638 onwards.<br/><br/> Delhi passed under British control in 1857 and became the capital of British India in 1911. In large scale rebuilding, parts of the Old City were demolished to provide room for a grand new city designed by Edward Lutyens. New Delhi became the capital of independent India in 1947.
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Malay-Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era.<br/><br/>Members of this community in Malaysia identify themselves as 'Nyonya-Baba' or 'Baba-Nyonya'. Nyonya is the term for the females and Baba for males. It applies especially to the ethnic Chinese populations of the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations, who adopted partially or in full Malay-Indonesian customs to become partially assimilated into the local communities.<br/><br/>While the term Peranakan is most commonly used among the ethnic Chinese for those of Chinese descent also known as Straits Chinese (土生華人; named after the Straits Settlements), it may also be applied to the Baba-Yaya community in Phuket and other provinces of southern Thailand.
Wat Chiang Man (Chiang Mun) was built in 1297 CE and is thought to be Chiang Mai's oldest temple. It was built on the spot which had been used by King Mangrai as a camp during the construction of his new capital city Chiang Mai.<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.
The Holy See of the Cao Dai is in the Vietnamese province of Tay Ninh, close to the Cambodian frontier, and this syncretic religion – which counts Victor Hugo, Laozi and Jesus among its saints – has also made some Khmer converts.<br/><br/> Vietnam has two indigenous religious sects, both of which were established in the 20th century, and both of which are based firmly in the south of the country. Cao Dai or ‘Supreme Altar’ is a syncretic faith combining aspects of the tam giao with Catholicism and is the larger of the two, with an estimated 2 million followers. Cao Dai is an eclectic amalgam of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Catholicism. The second sect, called Hoa Hao or ‘Peace and Happiness’, is centred on Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta. Its followers practise an ascetic and austere form of Buddhism.<br/><br/> The Cao Dai religion was founded in 1919 by a Vietnamese civil servant, Ngo Van Chieu and by the mid-1920s Tay Ninh had developed as the ‘Holy See’ of the new religion, with a hierarchy organised under a Cao Dai pope. Initially persecuted by the communists, Cao Dai is now tolerated, and has an estimated two million followers, mainly in the south.
The Holy See of the Cao Dai is in the Vietnamese province of Tay Ninh, close to the Cambodian frontier, and this syncretic religion – which counts Victor Hugo, Laozi and Jesus among its saints – has also made some Khmer converts.<br/><br/> Vietnam has two indigenous religious sects, both of which were established in the 20th century, and both of which are based firmly in the south of the country. Cao Dai or ‘Supreme Altar’ is a syncretic faith combining aspects of the tam giao with Catholicism and is the larger of the two, with an estimated 2 million followers. Cao Dai is an eclectic amalgam of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Catholicism. The second sect, called Hoa Hao or ‘Peace and Happiness’, is centred on Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta. Its followers practise an ascetic and austere form of Buddhism.<br/><br/> The Cao Dai religion was founded in 1919 by a Vietnamese civil servant, Ngo Van Chieu and by the mid-1920s Tay Ninh had developed as the ‘Holy See’ of the new religion, with a hierarchy organised under a Cao Dai pope. Initially persecuted by the communists, Cao Dai is now tolerated, and has an estimated two million followers, mainly in the south.
Beng Mealea was built as a Hindu temple, but there are some carvings depicting Buddhist motifs. Its primary material is sandstone and it is largely unrestored, with trees and thick brush thriving amidst its towers and courtyards and many of its stones lying in great heaps. For years it was difficult to reach, but a road recently built to the temple complex of Koh Ker passes Beng Mealea and more visitors are coming to the site, as it is 77 km from Siem Reap by road.<br/><br/> The history of the temple is unknown and it can be dated only by its architectural style, identical to Angkor Wat, so scholars assumed it was built during the reign of king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. Smaller in size than Angkor Wat, the king's main monument, Beng Mealea nonetheless ranks among the Khmer empire's larger temples: the gallery which forms the outer enclosure of the temple is 181 m by 152 m. It was the center of a town, surrounded by a moat 1025 m by 875 m large and 45 m wide.
Beng Mealea was built as a Hindu temple, but there are some carvings depicting Buddhist motifs. Its primary material is sandstone and it is largely unrestored, with trees and thick brush thriving amidst its towers and courtyards and many of its stones lying in great heaps. For years it was difficult to reach, but a road recently built to the temple complex of Koh Ker passes Beng Mealea and more visitors are coming to the site, as it is 77 km from Siem Reap by road.<br/><br/> The history of the temple is unknown and it can be dated only by its architectural style, identical to Angkor Wat, so scholars assumed it was built during the reign of king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. Smaller in size than Angkor Wat, the king's main monument, Beng Mealea nonetheless ranks among the Khmer empire's larger temples: the gallery which forms the outer enclosure of the temple is 181 m by 152 m. It was the center of a town, surrounded by a moat 1025 m by 875 m large and 45 m wide.
Emperor Gia Long ordered the construction of Hue Citadel in 1805. The vast complex is built according to the notions of fengshui or Chinese geomancy, but following the military principles of the noted 18th century French military architect Sebastien de Vauban. The result is an unusual and elegant hybrid, a Chinese-style Imperial City carefully aligned with surrounding hills, islands and waterways, but defended by massive brick walls between 6-12 metres high and 2.5 metres thick, punctuated by towers, ramparts, a massive earth glacis, and 24 Vauban-inspired bastions.<br/><br/>The entire complex was further protected by wide moats, crossed by gracefully arched stone bridges leading to ten gates, the chief of which is Cua Ngo Mon, the south-east facing ‘Meridian Gate’. To compound the exotic hybrid effect, guard posts designed as Chinese-style miradors, complete with sweeping eaves crowned by imperial dragons, surmounted each gate. Finally, directly in front of the Ngo Mon Gate, a massive brick fort 18 metres high was constructed both as an additional barrier against malign spirits, and as a defensive redoubt.<br/><br/>The area within the Citadel - in all, 520 hectares (1300 acres) - comprises three concentric enclosures, the Civic, Imperial and Forbidden Purple Cities. Access is by way of ten fortified gates, each of which is reached by a low, arched stone bridge across the moat. In imperial times a cannon would sound at 5am and 9pm to mark the opening and closing of the gates.<br/><br/>Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty between 1802 and 1945. The tombs of several emperors lie in and around the city and along the Perfume River. Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Emperor Gia Long ordered the construction of Hue Citadel in 1805. The vast complex is built according to the notions of fengshui or Chinese geomancy, but following the military principles of the noted 18th century French military architect Sebastien de Vauban. The result is an unusual and elegant hybrid, a Chinese-style Imperial City carefully aligned with surrounding hills, islands and waterways, but defended by massive brick walls between 6-12 metres high and 2.5 metres thick, punctuated by towers, ramparts, a massive earth glacis, and 24 Vauban-inspired bastions.<br/><br/>The entire complex was further protected by wide moats, crossed by gracefully arched stone bridges leading to ten gates, the chief of which is Cua Ngo Mon, the south-east facing ‘Meridian Gate’. To compound the exotic hybrid effect, guard posts designed as Chinese-style miradors, complete with sweeping eaves crowned by imperial dragons, surmounted each gate. Finally, directly in front of the Ngo Mon Gate, a massive brick fort 18 metres high was constructed both as an additional barrier against malign spirits, and as a defensive redoubt.<br/><br/>The area within the Citadel - in all, 520 hectares (1300 acres) - comprises three concentric enclosures, the Civic, Imperial and Forbidden Purple Cities. Access is by way of ten fortified gates, each of which is reached by a low, arched stone bridge across the moat. In imperial times a cannon would sound at 5am and 9pm to mark the opening and closing of the gates.<br/><br/>Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty between 1802 and 1945. The tombs of several emperors lie in and around the city and along the Perfume River. Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wat Nong Sikhounmuang (Sikhunmuang) was originally built in 1729. It was burnt down in 1774, but the bronze Buddha statue that can still be found inside the temple survived. The temple was rebuilt in 1804.<br/><br/> Luang Prabang was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is nowadays a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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.
Dalongdong Baoan Temple (Chinese: 大龍峒保安宮; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tōa-lông-pōng pó-an kiong) also known as the Taipei Baoan Temple (Chinese: 臺北保安宮) is a Taiwanese folk religion temple built in the Datong district of Taipei, Taiwan.<br/><br/>The present temple was originally built by clan members in the Tong'an District (同安) who immigrated to Taipei in the early 19th century and gave the temple the name Bao'an (保安) in order to 'protect those of tong'an' (保佑同安).<br/><br/>The temple construction commenced in 1804 and replaced a previously existing wooden shrine from 1742 in Dalongdong.
Mae Sariang is a small town and district (Amphoe) alongside the Yuam River in Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand, along the Myanmar border. The areas around Mae Sariang are mountainous and forested. The town has many links to Burma, such as its architecture and a large population of Burmese Muslims.<br/><br/> Once one of Thailand’s remotest provinces, Mae Hong Son is now readily accessible by air from Chiang Mai, as well as by a wonderful loop drive through Mae Sariang and back via Pai and Soppong– or vice versa. Singularly isolated, Mae Hong Son is not yet very developed. The townsfolk may be citizens of Thailand, but most are Shan, Karen, Yunnanese Chinese or Hill Tribes. The temples are Burmese in style, and the pace of life amazingly tranquil.
Etimad-ud-Daula's Tomb (Urdu: اعتماد الدولہ کا مقبرہ‎, I'timād-ud-Daulah kā Maqbara) is a Mughal mausoleum in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.<br/><br/> Along with the main building, the structure consists of numerous outbuildings and gardens. The tomb, built between 1622 and 1628 represents a transition between the first phase of monumental Mughal architecture - primarily built from red sandstone with marble decorations, as in Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and Akbar's tomb in Sikandra - to its second phase, based on white marble and pietra dura inlay, most elegantly realized in the Tāj Mahal.<br/><br/> The mausoleum was commissioned by Nūr Jahān, the wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir, for her father Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, originally a Persian Amir in exile, who had been given the title of I'timād-ud-Daulah (Pillar of the State). Mirzā Ghiyās Beg was also the grandfather of Mumtāz Mahāl (originally named Arjūmand Bāno, daughter of Asaf Khān), the wife of the emperor Shāh Jahān, responsible for the construction of the Tāj Mahal.
According to oral tradition, tea has been grown in China for more than four millennia. The earliest written accounts of tea making, however, date from around 350 AD, when it first became a drink at the imperial court.<br/><br/> Around 800 AD tea seeds were taken to Japan, where regular cultivation was soon established. Just over five centuries later, in 1517, tea was first shipped to Europe by the Portuguese soon after they began their trade with China. In 1667 the Honourable East India Company ordered the first British shipment of tea from China, requesting of their agents ‘one hundred pounds weight of the best tey that you can get’.<br/><br/> In 1826 the Dutch bought seeds from Japan for cultivation in their growing East Indian Empire, supplementing this effort in 1833 by imports of seeds, workers and implements from China. Meanwhile, also in the 1830s, the East India Company began growing tea on an experimental basis in Assam – the first one hundred boxes of Assamese tea reached Britain in 1840, and found a ready market.<br/><br/> About the same time, tea seedlings were transplanted from Assam to Sri Lanka and planted in the highlands around Kandy. By the beginning of the present century tea was very much in fashion, with plantations established as far afield as Vietnam in Southeast Asia, Georgia in Europe, Natal, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique in Africa, Argentina, Brazil and Peru in South America, and Queensland in Australia. Despite this proliferation, however, Sri Lanka remains the largest producer of tea in the world today, with the fragrant black leaf the mainstay of its economy.
Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn, Filisṭīn; Greek: Παλαιστίνη, Palaistinē; Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina) is a name given to the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. The region is also known as the Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ־ישראל Eretz-Yisra'el), the Holy Land and the Southern Levant.<br/><br/> In 1832 Palestine was conquered by Muhammad Ali's Egypt, but in 1840 Britain intervened and returned control of the Levant to the Ottomans in return for further capitulations. The end of the 19th century saw the beginning of Zionist immigration and the Revival of the Hebrew language. The movement was publicly supported by Great Britain during World War I with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The British captured Jerusalem a month later, and were formally awarded a mandate in 1922.<br/><br/> In 1947, following World War II and the Holocaust, the British Government announced their desire to terminate the Mandate, and the United Nations General Assembly voted to partition the territory into a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jewish leadership accepted the proposal but the Arab Higher Committee rejected it; a civil war began immediately, and the State of Israel was declared in 1948.<br/><br/> The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba (Arabic: النكبة‎, an-Nakbah, 'The Catastrophe') occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War during which Israel captured and incorporated a further 26% of Palestinian territory.<br/><br/> In the course of the Six Day War in June 1967, Israel captured the remainder of historic Palestine and began a continuing policy of Israeli settlement and annexation.
Kaiyuan Si (Kaiyuan Temple) is Quanzhou’s largest Buddhist temple, and one of China’s most beautiful. The temple dates back to the late 7th century (Tang Dynasty), but its two pagodas were later additions, constructed in the 13th century. They have managed to survive largely as they are built of stone, not wood.<br/><br/> A thousand years ago Quanzhou was arguably the world’s most significant port, with a lucrative position at the centre of the maritime silk trade.<br/><br/> It prospered enormously during the Song and Yuan dynasties, when it was visited by Marco Polo (the port was known as Zaytoun then) and played host to thousands of Arab merchants, many of whom made fortunes introducing Chinese inventions such as gunpowder and printing to the West.<br/><br/> The port fell into irreversible decline following the restrictions on maritime trade imposed by the Ming emperors in the 15th century.
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.
An element of Islamic art usually found decorating the walls and window screens of mosques and Muslim homes and buildings, the arabesque is an elaborate application of repeating geometric forms that often echo the forms of plants, shapes and sometimes animals.<br/><br/> The choice of which geometric forms are to be used and how they are to be formatted is based upon the Islamic view of the world. To Muslims, these forms, taken together, constitute an infinite pattern that extends beyond the visible material world. To many in the Islamic world, they in fact symbolize the infinite, and therefore uncentralized, nature of the creation of the one God ('Allah' in Arabic).<br/><br/> Furthermore, the Islamic Arabesque artist conveys a definite spirituality without the iconography of Christian art. Arabesque is used in mosques and building around the Muslim world, and it is a way of decorating using beautiful, embellishing and repetitive Islamic art instead of using pictures of humans and animals (which is Haram or forbidden in Islam).
Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha); full official name Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is located within the precincts of the Grand Palace.<br/><br/> The Grand Palace served as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. Construction of the Palace began in 1782, during the reign of King Rama I, when he moved the capital across the river from Thonburi to Bangkok.
Nur-ud-din Salim Jahangir (20 September 1569 – 8 November 1627) was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death in 1627. The name Jahangir is from Persian meaning 'Conqueror of the World'. Nur-ud-din or Nur al-Din is an Arabic name which means 'Light of the Faith'. Born as Prince Muhammad Salim, he was the third and eldest surviving son of Mogul Emperor Akbar. His mother was the Rajput Princess of Amber, Jodhabai (born Rajkumari Hira Kunwari, eldest daughter of Raja Bihar Mal or Bharmal, Raja of Amber, India).<br/><br/> Mughal period miniature painting from an album featuring portraits of Timur the Great and his descendants, mid-17th century
The Hall of Supreme Harmony (pinyin: Tài Hé Diàn; Manchu: Amba hūwaliyambure deyen) is the largest hall within the Forbidden City. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is one of the largest wooden structures within China. It was the location where Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty Emperors hosted their enthronement and wedding ceremonies. The name of the Hall was changed from Feng Tian Dian to the current one by the Shunzhi Emperor of Qing Dynasty.<br/><br/> The Forbidden City, built between 1406 and 1420, served for 500 years (until the end of the imperial era in 1911) as the seat of all power in China, the throne of the Son of Heaven and the private residence of all the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors. The complex consists of 980 buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms and covers 720,000 m2 (7,800,000 sq ft).
San Francisco's Chinatown was the port of entry for early Hoisanese and Zhongshanese Chinese immigrants from the Guangdong province of southern China from the 1850s to the 1900s. The area was the one geographical region deeded by the city government and private property owners which allowed Chinese persons to inherit and inhabit dwellings within the city.<br/><br/> The majority of these Chinese shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and hired workers in San Francisco Chinatown were predominantly Hoisanese and male. Many Chinese found jobs working for large companies seeking a source of labor, most famously as part of the Central Pacific on the Transcontinental Railroad. Other early immigrants worked as mine workers or independent prospectors hoping to strike it rich during the 1849 Gold Rush.
Lehnert & Landrock: Rudolf Franz Lehnert (Czech) and Ernst Heinrich Landrock (German) had a photographic company based in Tunis, Cairo and Leipzig before World War II. They specialised in somewhat risque Orientalist images of young Arab and Bedouin women, often dancers.
The Royal Palace (Preah Barum Reacha Veang Nei Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea) and Silver Pagoda, in Phnom Penh, is a complex of buildings which serves as the royal residence of the king of Cambodia. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barom Reachea Veang Chaktomuk. The Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in the 1860's, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge.<br/><br/> The palace was constructed after King Norodom relocated the royal capital from Oudong (Udong) to Phnom Penh in the mid-19th century. It was gradually built atop an old citadel called Banteay Kev. It faces towards the East and is situated at the Western bank of the four divisions at the Mekong River called Chaktomuk (an allusion to Brahma, the Hindu god of creation).
Delaporte produced a great number of drawings, sketches and watercolours during his two-year venture (1866-68) with the Mekong Exploration Commission sponsored by the French Ministry of the Navy, the intention of which was to lay the groundwork for the expansion of French colonies in Indochina. Traveling mostly by boat, the French delegation voyaged from Saigon to Phnom Penh to Luang Prabang, then farther north into the uncharted waters of Upper Laos and China's Yunnan province.
Nanpaya Temple was built during the 11th century by the captive Mon King Manuha.<br/><br/> Bagan, formerly Pagan, was mainly built between the 11th century and 13th century. Formally titled Arimaddanapura or Arimaddana (the City of the Enemy Crusher) and also known as Tambadipa (the Land of Copper) or Tassadessa (the Parched Land), it was the capital of several ancient kingdoms in Burma.
Emperor Tự Đức (22 September 1829 – 17 July 1883) (full name: Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm, also Nguyen Phuc Thi) was the fourth emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam and reigned from 1847–1883.<br/><br/> The son of Emperor Thiệu Trị, Prince Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Nhậm succeeded his father on the throne, with the reigning title of Tự Đức, but family troubles caused his era to have a violent start. Thiệu Trị had passed over his more moderate eldest son, Hồng Bảo, to give the throne to Tự Đức, known for his staunch Confucianism and opposition to foreigners and innovation. As a result, and due to the repressive policies of the previous Nguyễn Dynasty emperor, there was now a great deal of dissatisfaction with Nguyễn rule and a legitimate royal figure to rally this opposition.<br/><br/> Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty between 1802 and 1945. The tombs of several emperors lie in and around the city and along the Perfume River. Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Seiu Ito (伊藤晴雨 Itō Seiu), also romanised as Seiyu Itoh (3 March 1882 in Tokyo - 28 January 1961 in Tokyo) was a Japanese painter, recognised today as 'the father of modern kinbaku'.<br/><br/>Ito was born Hajime Ito (伊藤一 Itō Hajime) in Tokyo's Asakusa district and started his education in painting by 1890. His father was a metalworker and he also received training in ivory carving, later sculpture. He adopted the alias Seiu (Sino-Japanese reading of kanji for words 'clear' and 'rain') at age 13. Around 1907, he began working for newspapers.<br/><br/>Ito became the target of censors in 1930, which led to the decline of his fortunes, and he lost most of his works during the Great Tokyo Air Raid. In 1960, he was recognised by the Japan Artists Association (日本美術家連盟 Nihon Bijutsuka Renmei).<br/><br/>Kinbaku (緊縛) means 'tight binding' Kinbaku-bi (緊縛美) which literally means 'the beauty of tight binding'. Kinbaku is a Japanese style of bondage or BDSM. Shibari (縛り) is a Japanese word that literally means 'to tie' or 'to bind'.<br/><br/>Bondage as a sexual activity first came to notice in Japan in the late Edo period. Generally recognized as 'father of Kinbaku' is Seiu Ito, who started studying and researching Hojōjutsu is credited with the inception of Kinbaku, though it is noted that he drew inspiration from other art forms of the time including Kabuki theatre and Ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
Prasat Hin Phanom Rung (Phanom Rung Stone Castle) is a Khmer temple complex set on the rim of an extinct volcano at 1,320 feet above sea level, in Buriram province in the Isaan region of Thailand. It was built in sandstone and laterite in the 10th to 13th centuries. It was a Hindu shrine dedicated to Shiva, and symbolises Mount Kailash, his heavenly dwelling.
The Registan contains three madrasahs (schools), the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420), Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646–1660) and the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636).<br/><br/> The Tilya-Kori Madrasah was built in the mid-17th century by the Shaybanid Amir Yalangtush. The name Tilya-Kori means ‘gilded’ or ‘gold-covered’, and the entire building is lavishly decorated with elaborate geometrical arabesques and sura from the Qur’an both outside and especially within. A magnificent turquoise dome rises over the left (western) side of the building, decorated inside with gilded Qur’anic inscriptions and delicate muqarnas hanging ‘stalactite’ decorations. The interior of the madrasah comprises rooms for students with accompanying vestibules surrounding three-sides of a square courtyard, while a domed mosque occupies the fourth.<br/><br/> The dome rises in four stages. A rectangular plinth forms the primary prayer hall and rises above the madrasa walls. Next, two terraced octagonal tiers rise to support a high cylindrical drum. The dome's monochrome blue color contrasts pleasingly with the drum's polychrome decoration formed by bands of Arabic calligraphy taken from the Qur’an.
Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its formal name is Gandan Shaydrup Dargay Tashi Gyaysu Khyilway Ling, commonly known as Labrang Tashi Khyil, or simply Labrang. The monastery was founded in 1709 by the first Jamyang Zhaypa, Ngawang Tsondru. It is Tibetan Buddhism's most important monastery town outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its formal name is Gandan Shaydrup Dargay Tashi Gyaysu Khyilway Ling, commonly known as Labrang Tashi Khyil, or simply Labrang. The monastery was founded in 1709 by the first Jamyang Zhaypa, Ngawang Tsondru. It is Tibetan Buddhism's most important monastery town outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
Prasat Hin Mueang Tam is a Khmer temple in the Khleang and Baphuon styles, which dates from the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The primary deity was Shiva, although Vishnu was also worshipped here.<br/><br/> Prasat Meuang Tam was constructed on the orders of King Jayavarman V. Surrounded by a high laterite wall, the complex includes magnificent stepped tanks which have been lovingly restored and filled with lotus flowers. The mellow sandstone of the sanctuary walls and artistically-carved lintels contrasts beautifully with the darker, coarser laterite of the surrounding sanctuary walls. The sense is one of peace and quiet reverence - the more so since this temple is rarely visited compared with nearby Phanom Rung, and much less well-known.
Prasat Hin Mueang Tam is a Khmer temple in the Khleang and Baphuon styles, which dates from the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The primary deity was Shiva, although Vishnu was also worshipped here.<br/><br/> Prasat Meuang Tam was constructed on the orders of King Jayavarman V. Surrounded by a high laterite wall, the complex includes magnificent stepped tanks which have been lovingly restored and filled with lotus flowers. The mellow sandstone of the sanctuary walls and artistically-carved lintels contrasts beautifully with the darker, coarser laterite of the surrounding sanctuary walls. The sense is one of peace and quiet reverence - the more so since this temple is rarely visited compared with nearby Phanom Rung, and much less well-known.
Prasat Hin Mueang Tam is a Khmer temple in the Khleang and Baphuon styles, which dates from the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The primary deity was Shiva, although Vishnu was also worshipped here.<br/><br/> Prasat Meuang Tam was constructed on the orders of King Jayavarman V. Surrounded by a high laterite wall, the complex includes magnificent stepped tanks which have been lovingly restored and filled with lotus flowers. The mellow sandstone of the sanctuary walls and artistically-carved lintels contrasts beautifully with the darker, coarser laterite of the surrounding sanctuary walls. The sense is one of peace and quiet reverence - the more so since this temple is rarely visited compared with nearby Phanom Rung, and much less well-known.
Angkor Wat was built for King Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-50) in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the Angkor site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers.
Angkor Wat was built for King Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-50) in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the Angkor site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. It is the world's largest religious building. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early South Indian Hindu architecture. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers.
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir (Urdu: ابلمظفر- محىالدين - محمد اورنگزيب- عالمگیر, Hindi: अबुल मुज़फ्फर मुहिउद्दीन मुहम्मद औरंगज़ेब आलमगीर) (4 November 1618 – 3 March 1707, more commonly known as Aurangzeb (Hindi: औरंगज़ेब) or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir (Hindi: आलमगीर) ("Conquerer of the World", Urdu: عالمگیر), was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.<br/><br/> Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly half a century, was the second longest reigning Mughal emperor after Akbar.
Wat Phra nang Sang was founded in the 19th century by a local lady of good family, hence the name, phra nang sang, meaning ‘built by the revered lady’. Her real name seems to have been forgotten. According to local lore, she travelled to Sri Lanka on a pilgrimage and, to give thanks on her safe return, she sponsored the building of this temple. Later she fell foul of a local ruler who ordered her head cut off, only to find her blood flowed white with purity.
Wat Hang Dong วัด หางดง is a typical example of traditional Lan Na temple architecture. The old viharn at this temple is a little more elaborate than its counterpart at nearby Wat Ton Kwen, but is essentially similar in shape, style and appearance. Also dark and intimate, with a low, sweeping, three-tiered roof, the viharn shelters a collection of Buddha images, at least two of which – to the right and left of the main Buddha image – are distinctively Lao in style and yet somehow strangely primitive.<br/><br/> The old viharn at Wat Hang Dong has now been beautifully restored, and a new ubosot has also been added just a few metres to the northwest. This newer structure follows quite faithfully the traditional Lan Na design (the sum of some windows are perhaps over-elaborate and seem to show significant traces of Burmese influence), but overall the new ubosot at Wat Hang Dong both mirrors and complements the old viharn.
Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan (usually Wat Saket) dates back to the Ayutthaya era, when it was called Wat Sakae. King Rama I (1736 - 1809) or Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke renovated the temple and renamed it Wat Saket. The Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong) is a steep hill inside the Wat Saket compound. It is not a natural outcrop, but an artificial hill built during the reign of Rama III (1787 - 1851) or King Jessadabodindra.<br/><br/> The Jātakas refer to a body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of the Buddha.
Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan (usually Wat Saket) dates back to the Ayutthaya era, when it was called Wat Sakae. King Rama I (1736 - 1809) or Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke renovated the temple and renamed it Wat Saket. The Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong) is a steep hill inside the Wat Saket compound. It is not a natural outcrop, but an artificial hill built during the reign of Rama III (1787 - 1851) or King Jessadabodindra.<br/><br/> The Jātakas refer to a body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of the Buddha.
Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan (usually Wat Saket) dates back to the Ayutthaya era, when it was called Wat Sakae. King Rama I (1736 - 1809) or Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke renovated the temple and renamed it Wat Saket. The Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong) is a steep hill inside the Wat Saket compound. It is not a natural outcrop, but an artificial hill built during the reign of Rama III (1787 - 1851) or King Jessadabodindra. The Jātakas refer to a body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of the Buddha.
Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan (usually Wat Saket) dates back to the Ayutthaya era, when it was called Wat Sakae. King Rama I (1736 - 1809) or Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke renovated the temple and renamed it Wat Saket. The Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong) is a steep hill inside the Wat Saket compound. It is not a natural outcrop, but an artificial hill built during the reign of Rama III (1787 - 1851) or King Jessadabodindra.<br/><br/> The Jātakas refer to a body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of the Buddha.
That the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur appears so much less cluttered than its counterparts in Kathmandu and Patan is simply due to the earthquake of 1934. The earthquake devastated a large number of buildings in the square and they were never reconstructed.<br/><br/> A minor earthquake in 1988 did further damage. According to the Nepalese chronicles, Bhupatindra Malla had laid out 99 courtyards within the palace compound; in 1742, only 12 remained, and today there are but six.<br/><br/> The Vatsala Temple, a few metres southeast of the Bhupatindra Pillar, was built in 1672 CE by Jagatprakasha Malla. Its most conspicuous feature is a bell, about four feet high and set in a massive stone frame, which was added by Ranajit Malla in 1737. The bell was rung to call the faithful to the morning prayers conducted for the goddess Taleju.
The old silversmiths’ quarter centred on Baan Wua Lai (Spotted Cow Village) stretches along both sides of Wua Lai Road, to the south of Chiang Mai's old city. This long-established, prosperous community of artisans maintains a tradition that stretches back more than two centuries, to the time of Chao Kawila’s re-establishment of Chiang Mai in the years after 1797.<br/><br/> Silversmiths have long been valued and held in high esteem by Southeast Asian royal courts from Burma to Java, and in times past the Lan Na Kingdom was no exception.
The old silversmiths’ quarter centred on Baan Wua Lai (Spotted Cow Village) stretches along both sides of Wua Lai Road, to the south of Chiang Mai's old city. This long-established, prosperous community of artisans maintains a tradition that stretches back more than two centuries, to the time of Chao Kawila’s re-establishment of Chiang Mai in the years after 1797.<br/><br/> Silversmiths have long been valued and held in high esteem by Southeast Asian royal courts from Burma to Java, and in times past the Lan Na Kingdom was no exception.
Wannian Si (Long Life Temple) dates originally from the 4th century CE, but underwent major reconstruction in the 9th century. However, only one building remains from the Ming Dynasty (1601), the Brick Hall. This is the oldest temple on the mountain.<br/><br/> At 3,099 metres (10,167 ft), Mt. Emei is the highest of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains of China. The patron bodhisattva of Emei is Samantabhadra, known in Chinese as Puxian. 16th and 17th century sources allude to the practice of martial arts in the monasteries of Mount Emei.
Wat Phan Tao, established in 1391, forms a kind of adjunct to the much larger Wat Chedi Luang lying next door and immediately to the south. Wat Phan Tao means ‘Temple of a Thousand Furnaces’ or ‘Temple of a Thousand Kilns’ and it is believed that the grounds were once the site of a foundry, casting bronze images of the Buddha for nearby Wat Chedi Luang.<br/><br/> The wooden viharn is one of the few surviving all-wood temple buildings in Chiang Mai. In times past it was a secular structure of no religious significance, the ho kham or ‘gilded hall’ of Chao Mahawong, the 5th of the Chao Chet Ton monarchs, who ruled Chiang Mai and the north from 1846 to 1854.<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.