Buddhist monasteries are usually
located in remote places far from the hub-bub of cities and towns. It
takes more than a mild determination to reach them, but some of these
are decidedly inaccessible. The idea is to keep all but only the most
dedicated followers from reaching these holy places, while they also
make the monks feel like they were closer to God in a place of peace
and solitude. Today, however, most of these monasteries are tourist
attractions and in favor of the tourists, several accessible methods
like rope ways and stairs have been added. They still look formidable
and requires hundreds of meters of vertical trekking. You better have
a good pair of legs if you plan on visiting one of these.
Monasteries of Meteora, Greece
The Metéora (Greek for
“suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above") is
a group of six monasteries and one of the largest and most important
complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece. The six
monasteries, built on natural sandstone rock pillars, are one of the
most powerful examples of the architectural transformation of a site
into a place of retreat, meditation and prayer.
The monasteries are built on rock
pinnacles of deltaic origin, known as Meteora, which rise starkly
over 400 m above the Peneas valley and the small town of Kalambaka on
the Thessalian plain. During the fearsome time of political
instability in 14th century the monasteries were systematically built
on top of the inaccessible peaks so that by the end of the 15th
century there were 24 of them. They continued to flourish until the
17th century. Today, only four monasteries - Aghios Stephanos, Aghia
Trias, Varlaam and Meteoron - still house religious communities.
Access to the monasteries was
originally and deliberately difficult, requiring either long ladders
lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people.
This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced, so
the story goes, only "when the Lord let them break". In the
1920s there was an improvement in the arrangements. Steps were cut
into the rock, making the complex accessible via a bridge from the
nearby plateau.
Taung Kalat Monastery, Burma
The monastery of Taung Kalat is located
on a top of a volcanic plug that rises 737 meters from the
surrounding in central Burma (Myanmar) about 50 km southeast of
Bagan, and near the extinct volcano Mount Popa. The monastery can be
accessed by exactly 777 steps and those who reach the top are
rewarded by a spectacular view.
To the north-west opens a view to
distant temples of Bagan, and to the east is towering the forested
Taung Ma-gyi summit. There is a big caldera, 610 metres wide and 914
metres in depth so that from different directions the mountain takes
different forms with more than one peak. Many Macaque monkeys live
here that have become a tourist attraction on Taung Kalat
Taktsang Palphug Monastery, Bhutan
Taktshang monastery, also known as The
Tiger's Nest, is located on a precipitous cliff about 900 metres
above the Paro valley, in Bhutan. The rock slopes are very steep -
almost vertical - and the monastery buildings are built into the rock
face. Though it looks formidable, the monastery complex has access
from several directions, such as the northwest path through the
forest, from the south along the path used by devotees, and from the
north. A mule track leading to it passes through pine forest that is
colourfully festooned with moss and prayer flags. On many days,
clouds shroud the monastery and give an eerie feeling of remoteness.
Sümela Monastery
The Sumela Monastery is built into the
rock cliffs of the Altmdere Valley in Turkey. At an altitude of about
1,200 metres it is a major tourist attraction of Altındere National
Park.
The monastery was founded in 386 AD
during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius I (375 – 395).
Legend has it that two priests
undertook its creation after discovering a miraculous icon of the
Virgin Mary in a cave on the mountain. During its long history, the
monastery fell into ruin several times and was restored by various
emperors. It reached its present form in the 13th century after
gaining prominence during the reign of Alexios III.
The monastery was abandoned after World
War I and the start of the population exchanges between Greece and
Turkey that forced some 2 million ethnic Greeks and Turks to leave
their long-established communities in Turkey or Greece and return to
their ethnic homelands. It lay empty for decades before being
partially restored and returned to life as a museum.
Hanging Monastery, China
The Hanging Monastery or Hanging Temple
is located in a canyon at the foot of the Mountain Heng in the
province of Shanxi, China. The temple is built into the cliff side
about 75 meter above the ground, and stands propped up by hidden
rocks corridor and wooden beams inserted into the mountain. Over 40
halls, cabinets and pavilions within an area of 152.5 square meters
are connected each other by corridors, bridges and boardwalks. They
are evenly distributed and well balanced in height. Inside the temple
are more than 80 bronze cast statues, iron cast statues, and clay
sculptured statues and stone carvings banded down from different
dynasties.
The temple was build to avoid the
terrible flood, and use the mountain as protection from rain, snow
and sunshine. Today, it is one of the main tourist attractions and
historical sites in the Datong area.
0 comments:
Post a Comment