Princess1 in Sri Lanka Popular among the locals for the cultural and religious value and scenic beauty,
King Wickramabahu’s name is recorded in history as establishing
A diversified shopping experience is guaranteed in
Saturday 20 October 2012
kandy snkarila මහනුවර අලුත් විදියකට දකින්න
Princess1 in Sri Lanka Popular among the locals for the cultural and religious value and scenic beauty,
King Wickramabahu’s name is recorded in history as establishing
A diversified shopping experience is guaranteed in
Saturday 11 August 2012
BATU CAVES - MALEYSIA
BATU CAVES TEMPEL
Batu Cave Square in Malaysia
Batu Caves in Malaysia
Batu Caves
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the town, see Batu Caves (town).
| Batu Caves பத்து மலை | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to Batu Caves, a Hindu shrine and a tourist attraction near Kuala Lumpur, with the Murugan statue. | |
| Coordinates: | 3°14′14.64″N 101°41′2.06″ECoordinates: 3°14′14.64″N 101°41′2.06″E |
| Name | |
| Proper name: | Batumalai Sri Subramaniar Swamy Devasthanam |
| Location | |
| Country: | Malaysia |
| State: | Selangor |
| District: | Gombak |
| Locale: | 13 km north of Kuala Lumpur |
| Architecture and culture | |
| Primary deity: | Murugan |
| Architectural styles: | Dravidian Architecture |
| History | |
| Date built: (Current structure) | 1891 |
| Creator: | K. Thamboosamy Pillay |
Batu Caves (Tamil: பத்து மலை), is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples, in the Gombak district, 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also the name of the nearby village.
The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia.
[edit]
History
The limestone forming Batu Caves is said to be around 400 million years old. Some of the cave entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people (a tribe of Orang Asli).
As early as 1860, Chinese settlers began excavating guano for fertilising their vegetable patches. However, they became famous only after the limestone hills were recorded by colonial authorities including Daly and Syers as well as American Naturalist, William Hornaday in 1878.
Batu Caves was promoted as a place of worship by K. Thamboosamy Pillai, an Indian trader. He was inspired by the 'vel'-shaped entrance of the main cave and was inspired to dedicate a temple to Lord Muruga within the caves. In 1890, Pillai, who also founded the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur, installed the murti (consecrated statue) of Sri Subramania Swamy in what is today known as the Temple Cave. Since 1892, the Thaipusam festival in the Tamil month of Thai (which falls in late January/early February) has been celebrated there.
Wooden steps up to the Temple Cave were built in 1920 and have since been replaced by 272 concrete steps. Of the various cave temples that comprise the site, the largest and best known is the Temple or Cathedral Cave, so named because it houses several Hindu shrines beneath its high vaulted ceiling.
[edit]Religious site
See also: Lord Murugan Statue
Rising almost 100 m above the ground, the Batu Caves temple complex consists of three main caves and a few smaller ones. The biggest, referred to as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, has a very high ceiling and features ornate Hindu shrines. To reach it, visitors must climb a steep flight of 272 steps.
At the base of the hill are two more cave temples, Art Gallery Cave and Museum Cave, both of which are full of Hindu statues and paintings. This complex was renovated and opened as the Cave Villa in 2008. Many of the shrines relate the story of Lord Murugan's victory over the demon Soorapadam. An audio tour is available to visitors.
The Ramayana Cave is situated to the extreme left as one faces the sheer wall of the hill. On the way to the Ramayana Cave, there is a 50-foot (15 m) tall statue of Hanuman and a temple dedicated to Hanuman, the noble monkey devotee and aide ofLord Rama. The consecration ceremony of the temple was held in November 2001.
The Ramayana Cave depicts the story of Rama in a chronicle manner along the irregular walls of the cave.
A 42.7-metre (140 ft) high statue of Lord Muruga was unveiled in January 2006, having taken 3 years to construct. It is the tallest Lord Muruga statue in the world.
[edit]Administration
Batu Malai Sri Subramaniar Temple is managed by the Board of Management of Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Devasthanam, which also manages the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur and the Kortumalai Pillaiyar Temple. It also performs the role of Hindu Religious Consultant to the Government of Malaysia in determining the Hindu yearly calendar.
[edit]Nature, flora and fauna
See also: List of fauna of Batu Caves
There are various undeveloped caves which contain a diverse range of cave fauna, including some unique species, such as Liphistiidae spiders and Eonycteris and Rousettus fruit bats. The site is also well known for its numerous macaque monkeys, which visitors feed — sometimes involuntarily. These monkeys may also pose a biting hazard to tourists (especially small children) as they can be quite territorial.
Below the Temple Cave is the Dark Cave, with rock formations and a number of animals found nowhere else. It is a two-kilometer network of relatively untouched caverns. Stalactites jutting from the cave's ceiling and stalagmites rising from the floor form intricate formations such as cave curtains, flow stones, cave pearls and scallops which took thousands of years to form.
In order to maintain the cave's ecology, access is restricted. The Malaysian Nature Societyorganises regular educational and adventure trips to the Dark Caves.
[edit]Rock climbing
Batu Caves is also the centre of rock climbing development in Malaysia for the past 10 years. Batu Caves offers more than 160 climbing routes.[1] The routes are scattered all around the side of Batu Caves, which is made up of limestone hills rising to 150 m. These climbing routes are easily accessed as most crags start from ground level.
[edit]Festivals
Batu Caves serves as the focus of the Hindu community's yearly Thaipusam (Tamil:தைபூசம்) festival. It has become a pilgrimage site for not only Malaysian Hindus, but Hindus worldwide from countries such as India, Australia and Singapore.
A procession begins in the wee hours of the morning on Thaipusam from the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur leading up to Batu Caves as a religious undertaking to Lord Muruga lasting eight hours. Devotees carry containers containing milk as offering to Lord Muruga either by hand or in huge decorated carriers on their shoulders called 'kavadi'.
The kavadi may be simple wooden arched semi-circular supports holding a carrier foisted with brass or clay pots of milk or huge, heavy ones which may rise up to two metres, built of bowed metal frames which hold long skewers, the sharpened end of which pierce the skin of the bearers torso. The kavadi is decorated with flowers and peacock feathers imported from India. Some kavadi may weigh as much as a hundred kilograms.
After bathing in the nearby Sungei Batu (Rocky River), the devotees make their way to the Temple Cave and climb the flights of stairs to the temple in the cave. Devotees use the wider centre staircase while worshippers and onlookers throng up and down those balustrades on either side.
When the kavadi bearer arrives at the foot of the 272-step stairway leading up to the Temple Cave, the devotee has to make the arduous climb.
Priests attend to the kavadi bearers. Consecrated ash is sprinkled over the hooks and skewers piercing the devotees' flesh before they are removed. No blood is shed during the piercing and removal.[citation needed]
In 2007, the festival attracted more than 1.5 million pilgrims, making it one of the largest gatherings in history.
[edit]Development
Housing development began since 1970 with housing estates such as Taman Batu Caves, Taman Selayang, Taman Amaniah, Taman Sri Selayang, and Taman Medan Batu Caves.
In the last decade, the surrounding area has changed from a small village to industrial estates and new housing and shops. There is also an elevated flyover over the highway. A new 515-million-ringgit KTM Komuter rail extension from Sentul to Batu Caves began operations in July 2010, serving the rebuilt Batu Caves Komuter station.
On 1 January 2011, during the Thaipusam festival, it was announced that a cable car would be built for the following year's festival. It would cost around 10 million ringgit.[2][3]
[edit]Access
Batu Caves is easily reached by Komuter train from KL Sentral station, costing RM 2 for a one-way journey. Batu Caves may also be reached by bus 11/11d from Bangkok Bank Terminus (Near to Puduraya Terminus) or bus U6 from Titiwangsa.
[edit]Gallery
INFORMATION FROM WIKIPEDIA
Malaysia Petronas Twin Towers
Petronas Twin Towers
Petronas 2009 in Malaysia
Petronas Twin Towers, pair of skyscraper office buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that are among the world’s tallest buildings. The Twin Towers, built to house the headquarters of Petronas, the national petroleum company of Malaysia, were designed by the Argentine-born American architect Cesar Pelli; they were completed in 1998. The plan for each tower is identical: an eight-lobed circular structure that contains 88 stories of occupiable space and a pyramid-shaped pinnacle surmounted by a slender steel spire. Both rise to a height of 1,483 feet (451.9 metres), which includes 242 feet (73.6 metres) for pinnacle and spire. Each building is supported by 16 large columns around its perimeter, which, along with the rest of the frame, are made of high-strength, steel-reinforced concrete rather than of structural steel; the exterior sheathing consists of stainless steel and glass. A skybridge two stories tall links the two towers between the 41st and 42nd stories.
In 1996, after the spires had been attached to the buildings (and each had thus reached its full height), the Petronas Twin Towers were declared the world’s tallest buildings, eclipsing the former record holder, the 110-story Sears (now Willis) Tower in Chicago. The roof of the Sears Tower was actually more than 200 feet (60 metres) higher than those of the Twin Towers, but the spires on the towers’ pinnacles were regarded as integral parts of the overall architectural structure (see Researcher’s Note: Heights of buildings). The Twin Towers, in turn, lost their preeminent status in 2003 after a spire was put in place atop the Taipei 101 (Taipei Financial Center) building, in Taipei, Taiwan, and that structure reached a height of 1,667 feet (508 metres).
Saturday 30 June 2012
srilanka - Mirisavatiya Dagoba
Mirisavetiya Dagoba, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka Located among many other important sites
Mirisavatiya Dagoba is one of cluster of sites we will be visiting in a ride along the banks of the Tissa Wewa reservoir. The area is pleasant to stroll along too. Mirisavatiya Dagoba, which is identical to & only slightly smaller than the celebrated & adored Ruwanweliseya Stupa, is almost across the road from the Tissa wewa Rest House. Surrounded by the ruins of monasteries on three sides, the dagoba is only a kilometer to the east of Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree. The site still remains largely unexcavated.
The first monument built by the Hero of the Nation
This was the first monument built by the hero of the nation, victorious King Dutugamunu of Ruhuna (161-136 BC) after his consecration, enshrining an ornate kunta (scepter) which contained a sacred relic of Buddha. The scepter which was left implanted here in the bank by the king when he visited the tank could not on his return be pulled out from the ground by any means. The dagoba was constructed herein following this incident which was taken as an auspicious sign. King Dutugamunu went on to build Ruwanweliseya Stupa too.
How to say sorry in style
At the dagoba's consecration, King Dutugamunu dedicated the monument to the Sangha (Buddhist monks), in compensation for his failure to make an offering to Buddhist Bhikkus before having a rice & curry meal well spiced with Chilies (Miris). The minor failure & the sterling compensation say a lot about the religious traditions & reverence towards the monks by the Sinhalese.
Are you in search of illusive class?
Having slain Dravidian invader Elara in a duel (both warriors mounted on elephants & throwing spears) in the final epic battle at Vijitapura, Anuradhapura, King Dutugamunu (161-136 BC) built a memorial tomb for his defeated enemy. The hero of the nation also decreed whoever go passing the tomb get off the vehicle or mount & walk within the vicinity. Obeying to the decree a Kandyan aristocrat (1815 AD) paid with his life, being outpaced by his enemies.
Rebuilt after being destroyed by the marauding Dravidian invaders form South India
After a Chola invasion by the Dravidian invaders from South India, the dagoba was completely rebuilt during the reign of King Kasyapa the fifth (929-938 AD) in 930 AD.
Refectory
Northeast of dagoba are the remains of a refectory, complete with enormous stone rice troughs held enough for 1000 individual servings. This would be a definite indication as to the thousands of Buddhist Bhikkus (monks) that would have inhabited in the monasteries.
Monday 25 June 2012
srilanka SIGIRIYA - The Lion Mountain
SIGIRIYA - The Lion Mountain
Sigiriya, in fact, should have been classed as one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, long ago, and there is now a proposal to name it as the Eighth Wonder of the world. Perhaps, it is better late than never!
Sri Lanka's ancient architectural tradition is well portrayed at Sigiriya, the best preserved city centre in Asia from the first millennium, with its combination of buildings and gardens with their trees, pathways, water gardens, the fusion of symmetrical and asymmetrical elements, use of varying levels and of axial and radial planning. Sophisticated city planning was at the heart of Sigiriya, this royal citadel of ancient fame from the days of Sri Lanka's memorable past.
The Complex consists of the central rock, rising 200 meters above the surrounding plain, and the two rectangular precincts on the east (90 hectares) and the west (40 hectares), surrounded by two moats and three ramparts.
The plan of the city is based on a precise square module. The layout extends outwards from co-ordinates at the centre of the palace complex at the summit, with the eastern and western axis directly aligned to it. The water garden, moats and ramparts are based on an ‘echo plan’ duplicating the layout and design on either side. This city still displays its skeletal layout and its significant features. 3 km from east to west and 1 km from north to south it displays the grandeur and complexity of urban-planning in 5th century Sri Lanka.
Ruins of the Palace Complex at the top of Sigiriya, Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka
Sigiriya mountain. sri lanka in Sri Lanka
1.
King Kasyapa’s Fortress Palace
o
The first theory about the creation and purpose
of Sigiriya connects the complex to the reign (from 477 to 496 AD) of King
Kasyapa. According to legend, Kasyapa built the structures atop the summit of
the rock after murdering his father, King Dhatusena (walling him up alive) and
seizing power from his half-brother, Mogallana. The palace and fortress were
built to protect the usurper from the avenging armies of Mogallana.
Buddhist Monastery
o
Lonely Planet outlines a different theory about
Sigiriya supported by “archaeological, literary, religious and cultural
evidence, rather than local legend.” This theory proposes that Sigiriya
functioned as a “long-standing Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist monastery built
several centuries before the time of King Kasyapa.” As early as the 3rd century
BC, the site operated as a hermitage and had developed into an important
monastery by the 10th century AD (and abandoned after the 14th century).
Frescoes
o
Remnants of plaster and pigment remain
throughout the site. Although only a fraction of the approximately 500 images remain
the frescoes of Sigiriya “represent the earliest surviving examples of a Sri Lanka
school of classical realism” according to Discoversrilanka.com. The
still-visible images of women have been variously interpreted as “Heavenly
Maidens,” ladies of the Kasyapan court, “Lightning Princess and Cloud Damsels”
and, according to Lonely Planet, Tara Devi, a Mahayana Buddhist goddess.
Mirror Wall Graffiti
o
According to DiscoverSriLanka.com, a path runs
up the western and northern sides of the Sigiriya rock to “provide access to
the seeming inaccessible summit.” This path is protected by a 9 1/2 foot high
plaster wall so highly polished and glazed that “even today, after fifteen
centuries of exposure to sun, wind and rain, one can see one’s reflection in
it.” Called the Mirror Wall, it displays the writings of visitors to the
Sigiriya complex between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. As the graffiti is
translated, it offers scholars a valuable historical resource.
Lion Rock
o
When climbing the pathway of the rock to the
summit, a platform emerges halfway up the north side. Here once sat the giant
lion that gave Sigiriya, “Lion Rock,” its name. In order to reach the summit of
the rock, travelers had to pass between the lion’s paws and through its mouth.
DiscoverSriLanka.com notes that “based on the ideas described in some of the
graffiti, this Lion staircase could be visualized as a gigantic figure towering
majestically against the granite cliff, facing north, bright coloured and
awe-inspiring.” Today, only the paws and several steps remain
Panorama by http://www.360cities.net
Srilanka .. Dambulla cave tempel
There are five caves in Dambulla temple. All of these caves arc full of statues of Buddha and various personages of the Buddhist Order or History. There are 150 Buddha images in these caves. Cave No. 5 has no historical value as it was done in the second decade of this century. All of the other caves contain statues and paintings representing various epochs of Sinhalese sculpture and painting.The early paintings of Dambulla are believed by some to belong to the 8th century A. C. But this cannot be proved at all because of over painting. Nevertheless this place is a mine of decorative designs, the patterns of which resemble those of Sigiriya. To a student of the history of Buddhism a careful study of the paintings of Dambulla provides a good deal of source material.
Reclining Buddha Cave Temple Dambulla, Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka
Cave Temple Dambulla, Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka
Reclining Buddha Cave Temple Dambulla, Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka
panaroma by http://www.360cities.net
B4U leave dont foget write somthing
thanx ...
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