Country - Traveling Thru History

Pura Penataran Pande Peliatan

Erin — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 01:37:28 +0000

One of the fascinating things about Bali is that there are, literally, temples everywhere. Because of this, Bali is known as “the Island of a Thousand Puras”. Any street you turn down will have a temple of some sort, whether it be a grand edifice or a ‘small’ local establishment. I hesitate to call them small, though, because even the small ones are of a decent size. On our first day in Bali, we got to see one of the smaller temples and were just fascinated by the layout and design. We had been on our way to Gunung Kawi and saw this neat temple shortly after leaving our hotel. We didn’t realize until later that, as fascinating as this one temple was, it was just one of the smaller, more plain temples in the area. And, really, no temple in Bali is all that plain. The word ‘pura’ is a Sanskrit word that means ‘walled city’ or ‘palace’ and accurately describes a Balinese temple. The temples in Bali are set up to where they have all the sacred buildings within a walled complex. Even though the complex is walled on the exterior, the interior is designed so that worship takes place in an open-air setting that follows the Tri Mandala formula for how structures should be layed out. Before getting inside the temple itself, there are some really neat things to see before the entrance gate. The exterior of a Balinese temple is pretty spectacular. There are statues, pavilions and some beautiful carvings. On the wall at the left of the temple is a plaque that I’m assuming was placed there when the temple was built. I’ve tried to translate this to English, but none of the online tools I’ve used can translate more than two words. My guess is that this plaque is dedicating the temple and denotes the date of dedication, October 7, 2006. This is a stone statue of a Balinese Hindu god. He sits outside the entrance to the outer courtyard. I looked around for an hour trying to figure out this guy’s name, but I couldn’t find it. I actually had a hard time with finding any definitive information on the statues and carvings on Balinese temples. There are several different sites that list different names, but the consensus is that this statue is guarding the entrance to the temple. This is the pedestal in front of the entrance to the temple. The detail of the carving and the intricacy of the pedestal design is just wonderful. One of the demon carvings at the base of the outer courtyard pedestal. The first part of the Tri Mandala is known as the Nista mandala, or outer zone, and is used for dance performances and an are to make preparations during religious festivals. This is one of the doors congregants have to go through to get into this area. Large pavilion (bale) in the inner courtyard, or Madya mandala, the middle zone. One of the smaller shrines in the inner courtyard. This tower is in the process of being decorated for an upcoming festival. I love the style of this shrine, the multiple layers and and detailed accouterments. You just can’t look at this without being awed by the detail and the precision of the carving. I really love the temples in Bali. They are so fascinating and unique. I could have spent days just stopping at every one we passed in Ubud. Each temple is unique in its own way, thus leading to no two temples being exactly alike. If you get a chance to go to Bali, I recommend taking some time to visit a temple or two, just so you can enjoy and appreciate this part of the Balinese culture.

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Thailand’s Grand Palace

Erin — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 02:12:57 +0000

The Grand Palace of Bangkok is one of Thailand’s crowning jewels. It was the home of the country’s rulers from 1782 until 1925. Once a fully functioning city within a city, the Grand Palace now used for various government offices, royal ceremonies, state functions and, of course, a tourist attraction. Construction on the Grand Palace began in 1782 and continued off and on until the late 1800s. The original Grand Palace was hastily thrown together after General Chao Phraya Chakri staged a coup and took over the government from the previous king, King Taksin. King Taksin had resided in Thonburi, which is about 2.5 miles from the Grand Palace. When Rama I took over, he changed his name to King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I). His desire was to create a new palace for his new dynasty, the Chakri Dynasty, and moved the royal court from the east side of the river to the west side. The old palace, a simple structure which had only been in use for about 15 years, then became a residence for various members of the Chakri Dynasty before being converted into a naval academy in 1900. The location of the Grand Palace was carefully chosen as one that was easily defensible, had room to expand and was in a beautiful location. Unfortunately, there were already residents living in the area where Rama I had chosen for his palace. That problem was easily solved by Rama I’s order for that Chinese community to remove themselves and relocate to outside the city walls. The area where those people moved to is now known as Yaowarat, or Chinatown. When the Grand Palace was first built, there were not sufficient funds to make anything grand or elaborate, so it was made solely of wood and completed in about 30 days. After the completion of the simplified palace, Rama I held a simple coronation ceremony to solidify his rule. He planned to hold off an a full-scale coronation celebration until he had a palace worthy of such an occasion. The original ‘palace’ was a simple complex comprised of a handful of wooden structures surrounded by a log fence. Over the next 200 years, various monarchs would upgrade, add and expand the buildings on that site to create the vast Grand Palace that we see today. In order to prepare for his grand coronation ceremony, Rama I needed to upgrade his palace. Since the treasury was pretty low on funds, he chose to begin his upgrades by scavanging materials from the ruins of the nearby Ayutthaya Kingdom. Over the next three years, Rama I’s workmen completely decimated the former Ayutthaya royal palaces and built up a new palace worthy of a King. In 1785, Rama I felt his palace was grand enough to host his coronation and held a full-scale coronation ceremony proclaiming himself the ruler of all Siam. As it stands today, the Grand Palace is made up of four areas: the Outer Court, the Middle Court, the Inner Court and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Each of these areas is separated by walls and gates. The Outer Court is where the royal offices are located. The Middle Court was where the royal household lived and where the king’s ceremonial throne halls were located. The Inner Court was solely for the king’s wives and concubines and their all-female households. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, as it sounds, is the temple that houses the revered Emerald Buddha. Unfortunately, not all of the palace grounds are open to visitors. There is an alleyway of shops, a few small museums and a lot of grounds. In the above picture, only one area is fully open for the public to roam: the group of buildings on the bottom left surrounded by a red gate (Temple of the Emerald Buddha Complex). Other than that, the public can go in the museums, which are buildings 32 and 35 at the bottom right, the outdoor area around building 31 and the grounds in front of building 26. Everything else is blocked off and guarded. When you first enter the palace grounds, you get a great view of the chedi, mondop and royal pantheon just beyond the wall. I was pretty excited when I saw those. They’re just beautiful. Disclaimer: This was my very first day of my first international trip and I was still learning to use my camera, so some of the pictures are less fabulous than I’d like them to have been. To get into the area with the chedi, you’ve got to go through a gate, Which leads you down an alley Where you’ll go through another gate (number 33 on the map) and then you will be inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha Complex. As you walk along the wall surrounding the temple complex, one of the fascinating things you’ll see is a mural. The murals tell the story of Ramakien, which is the Thai version of the Ramayana, a Hindu epic that “depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife, and the ideal king” (wikipedia). The next thing you’ll notice, or probably the first because they’re kinda hard to miss, are the giant 16.5 ft tall statues. These are Yaksa Tavarnbal (demon guardians) who guard the palace. One of the next structures you will come to is the giant golden chedi that dominates the sky. Beside the chedi is a beautiful building surrounded by pillars. Click the images to see them bigger and read a little more information about each piece. Beside Phra Mondop is an equally impressive structure. Check out the roof! Isn’t that amazing! Beyond those three structures you’ll find a relica of Angkor Wat. I think this was one of my favorite parts about the visit. Behind the replica sits a building that is designed quite different from the rest. As you walk around the temple complex, you will see many other structures, sculptures and decorative items. Click through the images to read a little more information about each piece. Before leaving the temple complex, you would be remiss if you didn’t see the actual Temple of the Emerald Buddha itself. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside, but we got a few semi-decent shots from outside. As a side note, the Temple is not actually a temple. By definition, it is a chapel since it does not have living quarters for monks. Were there living quarters for monks, then it would be a Buddhist temple. It is still commonly known as, and called, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha because that is what most people know it as. After leaving the temple complex, you’ve finished with the biggest part of the Grand Palace. What’s left are the few buildings you can wander around the exterior of in the Middle Court. PLAN YOUR VISIT Hours: 8:30-3:30 Price: 500 baht – This price also include a ticket to The Pavilion of Regalia and a ticket for the Vimanmek Mansion Museum*, which is offsite and can be used within 7 days. As of Spring 2019, Vimanmek Mansion is closed for renovations to the foundation and it is unknown when it will be reopened. Dress: As for requirements to get into the Grand Palace, the dress code is quite strict. No shorts, tank tops or short skirts. Men must wear pants and a shirt with sleeves. Women must wear a long skirt and a shirt with sleeves. Short sleeves are okay, but sleeveless is not. Women wearing pants will be turned away, but you can rent a sarong at the entrance if you don’t have one with you. There are people outside the palace who will rent clothing to you, as well, but be warned, they may run off with your deposit money. That happened to us. NOTE: I’d recommend visiting the Grand Palace first thing in the morning. We arrived around 1pm and it was VERY crowded. I’d recommend arriving in the morning as soon as it opens. Since we got there so late, we kinda had to rush through parts of it so we could see the whole thing. I’d also recommend allotting around 3 hours for the Grand Palace.

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Tháp Rùa: The Legend of Turtle Tower

Erin — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:45:13 +0000

In Hanoi, Vietnam, there is a lake in the center of town that maintains special significance to the Vietnamese people. In the middle of that lake is a tiny island that holds a tower which commemorates the important victory achieved by a Vietnamese legend. Turtle Tower, known to the Vietnamese people at Thap Ruá, was built in 1886 on the same site where a Ta Vong Temple had been built during the 17th or 18th century. Somewhere between the Restored Le Dynasty and the Nguyen Dynasty that temple disappeared. The tower that stands there now was erected on the same site to commemorate a warrior and the impact he had on Vietnam. According to legend, a warrior named Le Loi was born in 1384 to an aristocratic family from Lam Son, Thanh Hoa province. When he became of age, Le Loi followed in his father’s footsteps to become a landowner and administrator in the region where he was born. As he grew up, Le Loi witnessed many atrocities against the Vietnamese people by the Ming Chinese who occupied Vietnam. He became angry at the unjust hardships placed on his people and in 1407 he witnessed the Ming Chinese destroy an entire Vietnamese village. This was the final outrage. Le Loi vowed that one day lead his people to freedom from the Chinese invaders. While Le Loi’s desire to free his country was strong, it took time before he was able to begin working towards that goal. It wasn’t until 1418 that Le Loi began his crusade to rid Vietnam of the Chinese. The day after Tet, which is the Vietnamese New Year, Le Loi’s family moved into the hills above where his family had lived for generations and began recruiting people to their cause. From there he rallied his people and inspired them to fight for their freedom. Starting out with 500 fighters, he organized them into groups to undermine the morale of the Chinese in any way they could. Under his leadership and with his strong determination to free his country, Le Loi led his people through a long and difficult struggle for freedom. The fighting lasted for many years and in 1425, almost all of Vietnam was involved in the struggle to oust the Chinese. With their vast numbers, the Vietnamese people had much success and were to a point where they had almost destroyed the occupying Chinese forces. In an ill-advised move, the newly instated Ming Emperor followed the advice of his advisers, against his own personal desires, and sent an additional 100,000 troops to Vietnam in an effort to crush the rebellion once and for all. The advisers had miscalculated the number of Vietnamese people willing to fight for their freedom and misunderstood the strength of their resolve. There were 350,000 Vietnamese troops waiting for the Ming Emperor’s battalion when it arrived. The Vietnamese also employed psychological warfare against the Chinese in order to break their spirits before having to face them in battle. In 1426, the battle to decide the outcome of the rebellion took place at Tot Dong. The Vietnamese were successful in capturing and executing the Chinese General, Liu Shan before luring the remaining Chinese forces into Hanoi where a trap had been placed for them. The Chinese entered the village and the Vietnamese used their larger force to surround and slaughter an estimated 70,000 soldiers from the Chinese army. Paramount in this victory for the Vietnamese was Le Loi and the use of a mystical sword he received from the Dragon King in his underwater palace. A fisherman caught the blade of the sword in his net and Le Loi found the hilt for the sword in a banyan tree. Legend says that the sword was inscribed with the words Thuan Thien, which means The Will of Heaven. This sword was said to have endowed Le Loi with great power and strength as well as increasing his physical stature when he used it. The strength and power Le Loi received from the sword allowed him to rally his troops and secure the victory that freed Vietnam from Chinese oppression. Shortly after Le Loi’s victory comes the second half of the legend which gives the lake its name. The lake is named Hoan Kiem Lake, Lake of the Returned Sword, because it is that lake where the Dragon King reclaimed the sword he had given Le Loi to free the Vietnamese people. Shortly after the Chinese recognized Vietnam as independent from them, Le Loi took a boat ride out on Luc Thuy, Green Water Lake. While sitting in his boat with his sword attached to his belt, a turtle came up out of the water and removed the sword from Le Loi’s belt. Carrying the sword, which was now glowing, in his mouth, the turtle then swam down into the lake, never to be seen again. Though he had many men search the lake, Le Loi was unable to discover the whereabouts of either. He then determined that the Kim Quy (Golden Turtle) had been an emissary from the Dragon King to retrieve his sword and renamed the lake Hoan Kiem Lake: The Lake of the Returned Sword. Years later, in 1886, while Vietnam was occupied by the French, a musician who was secretly working for the French received permission from the government to build a tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake in memoriam of Le Loi and what he did for Vietnam. What he didn’t tell the government was that he secretly planned to bury his father there. Residents of the city soon discovered his designs, though, and removed the his father’s body from the structure. This tower, though not built in any type of Vietnamese style and built by someone later discovered to be a traitor, still stands in honor of what Le Loi did for the nation and also for the magical turtle that is standing guard over the sword Le Loi used to free his people. This tower has stood for almost 150 years as a symbol of patriotic pride for the people of Hanoi. Though the French placed their own ‘Statue of Liberty’ atop the tower for a time (it was later removed in 1945 when the Tran Trong Kim government regained control of the city from the French), the Vietnamese have always seen this tower as a symbol of the patriotism and unity of the Vietnamese people. Many times during the French occupation, Vietnamese people would hang the revolutionary flag of Vietnam from the top of the tower in defiance of French rule and as a reminder of what the people could do. Today, the tower has a much more peaceful life. It has been decades since there has been a need to remind the Vietnamese people to rise up and fight against invaders. Rarely do people go out to the little island anymore, giving the aquatic residents of that island peace and freedom to roam around as they will. While people may not frequent the sacred spot as often as they used to, this tower still hold special meaning to the people of Hanoi and the turtles who live in the lake still bask in the sun and enjoy the solitude they now receive on the island that houses their very own Turtle Tower.

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Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Erin — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 03:08:19 +0000

Cambodia is a beautiful country full of history and culture. Unfortunately, they are also a country that has suffered immense hardship and atrocity. When we went to Cambodia, we made sure to visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in order to pay our respects to the people who suffered and honor the memories of those who died. HISTORY OF THE CAMBODIA and THE RISE OF THE KHMER ROUGE Cambodia was strong under Khmer rule during the 9th-13th centuries, but began a gradual decline between the 13th and 15th centuries. Over the next several hundred years, Cambodia had a merry-go-round of rulers until one of the worst rulers came to power and ushered in one of the darkest eras in Cambodian history. From around 1218 until 1863, Cambodia was in a slow decline. After the death of King Jayavarman VII in 1218, internal conflicts led Angkor Wat to be abandoned and the once powerful nation went into a cultural, economic and social decline. As their infrastructure weakened, other nations (namely Siam and Vietnam) began vying for control. The Ayutthaya Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) conquered Angkor Thom and Cambodia became a protectorate of Siam, though the Vietnamese were still slowly chipping away at Cambodian territories. In 1863, King Norodom of Cambodia accepted French protection from Siam and Vietnam. The French eventually converted that protectorship into full colonial rule of Cambodia. Colonial rule lasted until March 1945 when Japan began a short rule, but the French took control again in October 1945. The French retained control over Cambodia until 1953 when King Norodom Sihanouk secured the withdrawal of French and Vietnamese troops from Cambodia, an action he’d been working on since 1945. King Norodom had been backed by the French in his quest for the ruling seat because they thought he was too weak to force a removal of French troops, but King Norodom had a strong desire for an independent Cambodia and made it a life goal to see the French removed from Cambodian soil. Soon after, though, the Vietnam War began and gradually weakened King Norodom’s hold on Cambodia. King Norodom was ousted by military coup on March 18, 1970 led by Premier Lon Nol, who had formed a coalition with the Khmer Rouge, and the country was renamed the Khmer Republic. King Norodom was allowed to remain a figurehead for the country, but had no real power. Disunity and corruption led to the downfall of the republic in 1975, though the true beginning of the end started in 1973 when the Khmer Rouge began vying for full control of the country. The Khmer Rouge controlled nearly 60% of Cambodia on January 1, 1975 when they launched a 117-day offensive that officially collapsed the Khmer Republic. After the surrender of the Khmer Republic on April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge renamed the country Democratic Kampuchea. From the very beginning of their rule, the Khmer Rouge began a campaign of terror and genocide over the people of their country. Their first move was to issue an edict ordering entire urban populations to evacuate to rural areas to become farmers and laborers. Organized religions were suppressed and the industrial sector was placed under government control, where most of it was abandoned. Those who were caught practicing any form of religion were imprisoned or executed. The Khmer government cut ties with the communists in Vietnam and strengthened relations with China. Vietnam and the Khmer engaged on border disputes over the entire length of the Khmer Rouge reign from 1975-1979. The Khmer government was a Communist government formed on the teachings of Mao, Marx, Lenin and the French Communist Party. Where the Khmer differed from the other Communist factions is that they also believed that Khmers were racially superior to other minorities who claimed Cambodian citizenship. This idea led to a Hitler-esque drive to rid the country of the “impure” Cambodians by killing them. This evolved from ridding the country of minorities to ridding the country of anyone viewed as an oppressor, which included those in leadership/government positions prior to the Khmer Rouge takeover, intellectuals, anyone considered “rich”, those in professional employ and anyone who sympathized with the oppressors or the minorities. And this is where Tuol Sleng came in. HISTORY OF THE PRISON After the Khmer Rouge came to power and began their process of ridding Cambodia of “inferior” Cambodians and “oppressors”, they realized they would need a place to conduct interrogations and hold their prisoners. In August 1975, four months after the Khmer Rouge came into power, they converted the Chao Ponhea Yat High School into a prison and interrogation center which they named Security Prison 21 (s-21). The school buildings and grounds were enclosed by electrified barbed wire and all of the windows were retrofitted with bars and barbed wire. The classrooms were converted into prison cells and torture chambers that housed roughly 1,000-1,500 prisoners. It is estimated that during the 4-year run of the prison, between 17,000-20,000 people were imprisoned, tortured and killed there. The purpose of the prison was to interrogate by torture doctors, teachers, engineers, religious leaders, skilled laborers, anyone who had been a member of the previous government, anyone who was suspected of being a political dissident and anyone who was perceived to have been an intellectual. Over time, the inmates began to include political opponents as well as those in the Khmer Rouge party who were suspected of being disloyal or a threat to the regime along with their families. A vast majority of those who entered S-21 only left when they were taken to the Choeung Ek extermination center just outside the city to be killed and buried. Of all the people who entered the prison, there are only 7 known survivors, though it is conjectured that there may have been 5 who escaped, bringing the total to 12. S-21 remained in operation until 1979 when Vietnam invaded Phnom Penh and drove the Khmer Rouge out. In 1980 S-21 was reopened under the name Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum with a display of artifacts from the days of operation. The name they chose for the museum is very fitting: Tuol Sleng means “Hill of the Poisonous Trees” or “Strychnine Hill”. The artifacts include authentic tools used for torture, a photo record the Khmer Rouge kept of their victims, honorary graves and informational displays. The new rulers of the country, now named The People’s Republic of Kampuchea, wanted to memorialize the atrocities in honor of those who died and in hopes that this will never happen in their country again. TUOL SLENG GENOCIDE MUSEUM Tuol Sleng is a large, rather unassuming complex inside of Phnem Penh. From the outside, it doesn’t look much different from the other buildings in the area, aside from the barbed wire surrounding it and the simple sign over the entrance. There are no flashy signs or shining exterior to entice you to enter and spend an hour or two marveling at what is inside. It is a simple face with a stark message: horrible things happened here. After paying the foreigner fee (locals can visit free of charge) and entering the complex, you are greeted by a sign designating the complex as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Behind the sign is a field of coffins. These final 14 victims were killed just hours before liberation forces made it to the prison. Each was found badly mutilated and it is widely believed that these deaths occurred just before the prison guards packed up and left the prison as the Vietnamese entered Phnom Penh. The sign beside it reads: THE VICTIMS GRAVES – 14 corpses of the victims were discovered in Building “A” by the armed forces of the United Front for the Salvation, Solidarity and Liberation of Cambodia. They were brought down and buried in this opposite plot. Among those corpses there was one female victim. These victims were the last ones executed by the agents of S-21 before they fled this prison compound. On the mid-left side of the above picture there is a sign. Posted on it are the rules of the prison as stated by those who once ran it. Across from the sign is Building A. Each room had a different display of the torture artifacts that were found in the rooms along with a picture on the wall showing either the empty bed and tools as they were found or a body that had been found attached to the bed and tools. It truly was heart-wrenching to see the state of those found still imprisoned here and it was horrifying to learn what was done to them. The pictures on the wall show badly emaciated bodies chained to beds, some bleeding heavily. There are pictures in some rooms of bodies laid out across the floor, chained together, crammed as close as they can be with guards standing over them. There are pictures and paintings of people after having been tortured and some of people being tortured. Some of the floors have dark stains on them and all of the walls are tear-streaked, crying with heartache from the awful scenes played out therein. Even with windows in most of the rooms, a darkness lingers and dampens the brightness that tries to permeate the gloom. Outside in the light, at the junction between Buildings A and C stands a simple, once innocent, structure. This bar used to be where children exercised and played around, but the Khmer Rouge turned it into a device for torture and interrogation. The sign reads: THE GALLOWS – This pole with cables attached to it had been used for the student to conduct their exercise. The Khmer rouge utilized this place as an interrogation room. Ther interrogators tied both hands of the prisoners to the back by a rope and lift the prisoners upside down. They did like this until the prisoners lost consciousness. Then they dipped the prisoner’s head into a jar of smelly, filthy water, which they normally used as a fertilizer for the crops in the terrace outside. By doing so, the victims quickly regain consciousness, and that the interrogators could continue their interrogation. Across from the gallows stands Building C. Building C housed many small cells where prisoners were kept between interrogations and torture sessions. To help bring a sense of reality to those who suffered in these buildings, a few rooms have been converted into exhibits to display personal artifacts and skeletal remains of some of the victims who were buried in a field nearby. Inside you can see how the Khmer Rouge converted classrooms into multiple tiny prison cells. Inside these cells the prisoners were chained to either the bar or the floor and could not move more than a few inches. This was most likely not an issue since most inmates were tortured to the point of being to weak to escape or being so ill from disease and malnutrition. There are several pictures around the complex of bodies so emaciated it is a wonder any of them were still alive. Inside the small white building behind the trees are pictures of and artifacts from those who were imprisoned here. The Khmer Rouge carefully photographed and documented each person who was brought into the prison. Unfortunately, they kept the photographs and the list of names separate, so it is unknown who all the people in the photographs are. Not even children were given a pass by the Khmer Rouge. It breaks my heart every time I look at these photos. Those poor children. The things they went through and it’s most likely that most of them didn’t have a clue what was going on. Included in Building C are registers of personal details along with crimes they confessed to. It is surmised that a majority of the people who confessed to “crimes” were innocent and were just confessing in a misguided hope that they would be released. With the torture these people were put through – starvation, electrocution, whipping, beatings, burning, suffocation, waterboarding, rape, organ removal without anesthetic, blood draining, pulling fingernails, ritual cutting, medical experiments and sometimes skinning people alive – it is no wonder that almost...

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