Sri Lanka - Traveling Thru History

The Taj Mahal

Erin — Mon, 27 May 2019 04:35:28 +0000

The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous monuments of history and is considered a Wonder of the World. Come learn the history of what makes this mausoleum so special. #TBIN

The post The Taj Mahal first appeared on Traveling Thru History.

Sri Kandaswamy Kovil

Erin — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:19:41 +0000

During the 1800s large groups of Tamil Hindus moved from Sri Lanka to Malaysia to help construct railway lines. Many ended up settled in the area that is now known as Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur because it was so close to where the lines were being built. Life was much improved from what it had been in Sri Lanka, but many of them missed having a formal temple to worship in. Up until 1890 they had been worshiping informally in homes and at small, makeshift shrines. On December 24, 1890, though, the leaders of the Saivite Ceylon Hindu Community decided they wanted something more permanent and the plan for Sri Kandaswamy Kovil was born. The Saivite community was thrilled to have a formal temple in which to perform sacred ceremonies such as “Viratham” (fasting ceremony), “Thithis” (commemoration rituals) and “Punniyaahavaasam” (purification ceremony). The original structure was modelled exctly after the Nallur Kanthaswamy Temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and inaugurated in 1902. Over the years has had several expansions and in 1992 the temple went through a complete renovation. The first series of renovations were completed in 1997 and another renovation was done from 2009-2011. With renovations and constructional updates complete, Sri Kandawamy Kovil is once again a vibrant and elegant symbol of devotion for the thousands of Tamil Hindus living in Kuala Lumpur. This Hindu temple actually has special significance to us, as well. The handyman for our apartment was Hindu and shortly after our arriving in Malaysia he invited us to his niece’s wedding at this temple. It was such a neat experience and made this temple have a special place in our hearts. A few months after the wedding we decided we needed to go back to this temple and get some pictures of it. We’d taken pictures of the actual wedding, but hadn’t taken pictures of the temple or the grounds since there were people, cars, tents and wedding signs all over the place. But we did get some great photos of the wedding, which I do need to post. One day. *sigh* The first thing anyone notices about a Hindu temple is the Gopuram. A Gorpura is an ornate monumental tower at the entrance of any Hindu temple. This is a prominent feature of Koils, Hindu temples of the Dravidian style. They are covered in statues of Hindu deities and topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial. The use of Gopurams dates back to India during the Tamil Pallava dynasty which held power between the 3rd and 9th centuries. These colossal feats of architecture function as gateways between the outside world and the inner sanctum of the temple. There is usually more than one Gopura on a temple, but the one over the main entrance is the largest and most elaborate. This is the Gopura over the back entrance. And this is the Gopura over the side entrance. We attempted to go inside, thinking it would be okay, but a Hindu priest kindly ushered us back out and told us only Hindus could enter the temple. We were disappointed because the little we saw was so beautiful, but we were able to get one picture from the door before he told us that was not allowed either. Since we couldn’t go inside, we sufficed with wandering around the grounds. I’d seen them many times from the monorail that goes over the temple and was excited to finally be wandering around them. I kinda wonder, though, how thrilled the devotees are to have the monorail going over their temple grounds every 5-12 minutes. The grounds of the temple aren’t large, but they are fascinating. In Hinduism, water has a similar significance as in Christianity: it is believed to have spiritually cleansing powers. Hindus are required to participate in a ritual cleansing in a pool on temple grounds before entering the temple. I’ve been unable to discover the symbolism of these statues, but I have my theories. The main Hindu Water God is male, so it’s possible these are his priestesses or these could also be representations of the Ganga, the goddess of the sacred river Ganges. Or they could represent something else entirely. In any case, they’re quite lovely. We also found this cute cow sculpture near the pool. While there is a misconception that Hindus worship cows, they do hold cows in high esteem because of the life-giving offerings of the cow. Long ago cows were sacrificed and eaten, but Hinduism has evolved to where the cow is no longer sacrificed, but things the cow produces are used in rituals. So you will usually find a statue of a cow at a Hindu temple. The last part of the temple grounds is the temple garden, called Nanthavanam. Hindu temples will all have a garden similar to this one to provide the required lotus flowers for poojas, the daily prayer rituals. The main feature of the garden is a lotus pond with Lord Arumugaswamy, a six-faced manifestation of Lord Vishnu, seated in the center. Behind the pond are Lord Vishnu and Parvati, his wife and goddess of love, fertility and devotion. The peacocks decorating the pond were brought over from Sri Lanka in the 1930s and have remained where they are ever since. Lord Arumugaswamy, a six-faced manifestation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu and Parvati, his wife and goddess of love, fertility and devotion. Before we left the temple I stopped to take a picture of some of the sculptures atop the temple. This is Lord Vishnu, his wife Parvati and Ganesha, the god of beginnings. This is the gate that goes to the grounds around the temple. It really amazes me how much detail and vibrancy goes into everything associated with Hindu temples. We really enjoyed our visit to this temple. It wasn’t a long visit, but it was enjoyable. If you’re looking for a Hindu temple to explore while you’re in Kuala Lumpur, this one is less than two blocks from a monorail stop and about a 15-20 minute walk from KL Sentral. This is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur and the most traditional in its adherence to the rules of Saiva Agama Scriptures. It is also the temple where the trek to Batu Caves for the Thaipusam festival begins. HOURS 5:30am-9:30pm ADMISSION Free LOCATION The intersection of Jalan Tebing and Jalan Scott. HOW TO GET THERE The easiest way is to take the monorail to the Tun Sambanthan exit and walk down Jalan Tebing with the river on your right. Or you can take a taxi. If you wish to observe a ritual from outside the temple or come when there are less people, here is the temple schedule. Opening Abishegam Pooja Closing Morning 5:30am 6:00am 7:00am – Noon – 11:00am 12:00pm 1:30pm Evening 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 9:30pm Arthajama Pooja: 9:25pm

The post Sri Kandaswamy Kovil first appeared on Traveling Thru History.

Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple

Erin — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 23:18:53 +0000

When we lived in Kuala Lumpur, I really enjoyed walking around the neighborhood and taking in the sites. We lived by Little India, which was filled with all sorts of Hindu shops and temples, and also by a little Buddhist section of town, so there were always really interesting things to see. One day I decided to just wander and see where my feet took me and I ended up at this cute little Buddhist temple from 1895 that I’d never known was there before. The main gate is known as the Sanchi Main Gate, after the village of Sanchi in India, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This gate has a similar architectural style to the structures in that village, but it’s less elaborate and of a more contemporary design. One of the things I love about most religious sites is that they have such beautiful features. I really like the fountain at Maha Vihara. The flower in the center of the fountain is a lotus blossom. You’ll actually see these a lot at Buddhist sites. Lotus blossoms are an important symbol of faith to Buddhists and the symbology is that the mud the lotus flower roots into is the materialism of the world while the water the flower grows through is our experiences and the blossom flowering above the water is a person basking in the light of enlightenment. It’s actually a pretty neat allegory. Also on the grounds is a tower with a Buddha statue. I haven’t been able to find any information online about when this was built or how tall it is, but it’s still really neat.The building the tower is attached to is a school, though it is also used for other things. There is a multi-purpose hall on the ground floor, the Buddhist Institute Sunday Dhamma School is on the first and second floor (second and third to Americans) and there are also a library, resource center and kindergarden rooms. Outside that building there is also a playground for the children. It was neat seeing the mix of old-style toys and a few of the more modern ones. Going past the toys you’ll come to an outdoor shrine area with a few Buddhas encased in glass. This is one of the areas where people can pray to the Buddha or leave offerings of flowers and fruit. The place I thought was really neat was the International Buddhist Pagoda. When I was first wandering around the area, I didn’t think I could go inside. I’m a bit on the shy side and didn’t even try to door, but a girl and her friend who were there praying came over to me and began talking to me about the temple complex and asked if I’d been inside the pagoda. When I said I hadn’t, she started gesturing fervently and told me I HAD to go inside. So, I went inside with her. They were doing maintenance work inside, but that didn’t distract too much from how amazing the room was. The lighting was really bad and it was hard to get good pictures with the glare on the glass, but it was just so neat being able to see Buddhas that were from so many places. After getting my fill of the beautiful Buddhas in the pagoda I wandered around the grounds for a bit. This stupa was built in memoriam of the Venerable Dr. Kirinde Sri Dhammanada Nayake Maha Thera. Venerable Dr. Kirinde Sri Dhammanada Nayake Maha Thera was the head monk of Maha Vihara from 1952 until his death in 2006. He was also the foremost Theravada monk in all of Malaysia and Singapore during that time. These pots are located outside the main shrine area. They are for devotees to light incense sticks and then pray before entering the shrine. The red building is the main shrine. Inside the main shrine are three depictions of Buddha. My guide told me that each one represents a different stage in the Buddhas path of enlightenment. Both of these Buddhas are in different styles of the abhāya mudrā position, which signifies fearlessness in the face of adversity. My guide told me that standing representations of the Buddha are indicative of his life and his quest for enlightenment. My guide said that a seated Buddha is representative of the Buddha’s life after he became Enlightened. The hands are in the bhūmisparśa mudrā position, which is known as Calling The Earth to Witness. This pose is a depiction of the moment of enlightenment for the Buddha. It represents unshaken strength and the truth of his commitment to liberation, which helped overcome the darkness challenging him right before he entered the Light. This statue depicts the Buddha in the last moments prior to the dying one last time before entering Nirvana. It is called the mahāparinabbāna pose. After walking through the different meanings of the statues and their hand positions, my guide talked to me a bit about Buddhism and how much she loves it. She told me she comes to this temple every afternoon to pray and that if I would like to receive a more in-depth tour, to give her a call and she’ll set up a time to show me around the entire complex and explain everything to me. I’m a bit sad that I never took her up on that. Life happens and time goes by so fast when you’re not paying attention and 4 months later we were moving back to the US. But I did learn a lot and I really enjoyed visiting the Maha Vihara Buddhist temple. It’s amazing what interesting things you can find just by wandering around in your own neighborhood. Have you ever wandered somewhere familiar and found something new?

The post Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple first appeared on Traveling Thru History.