The Terraced Rice Fields of Bali

People have heard of Indonesia and have epic fantasies about the exotic beauties to be found on the island of Bali. You’ve probably imagined lush greenery, exotic dances, vast landscapes and beautiful beaches. Well, your fantasies are correct.

Bali is an island that is believed to have been settled in the early 8th century. Hindu priest Rsi Marhandya came to Bali from Java and founded a colony at the confluence of the two Wos rivers at Campuan, just west of the city of Ubud. It was there that Rsi Marhandya also developed the traditional Balinese cooperative irrigation system that is known as the Subak System. While the terraced rice fields can be found all over the island, the main areas where the terraced landscape is most visited are around the villages of Tegallalang, Pejeng and Campuhan.





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Candi Mendut

Candi Mendut is a 9th century Buddhist temple located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is one of three temples along a straight line that are of religious importance to the Javanese people, but the exact relationship between the three has been lost. All that is known now is that Candi Mendut, Borobudur and Pawon were all used for a combined religious ritual.



Candi Mendut, more commonly known as Mendut, was built in the early 9th century, sometime before or around 824 AD. Dutch archaeologist JG de Casparis believes the temple mentioned in a Karangtengah inscription dated 824 AD is Mendut temple and has presented enough evidence to back up his claim that the archaeological community concurs.

It is unknown how long Mendut was in use or what caused it to be abandoned, but in 1836 the temple ruins were discovered among an overgrowth of trees and bushes. Archaeologists began restoring the temple in 1897 after careful research and completed their restoration work in 1925. The stones used in the restored temple are mostly the same as were at the site when it was found, but there are not enough stones to complete the restoration.



Off to the side of Mendut is a field of stones. These stones are those that remain of the rest of Mendut. The parts of the temple that are missing are the pinnacle on top, the walls of a front chamber and the roof of the front chamber. The stones are laid out in the positions they would be in had the remaining stones been on site.



Mendut may be small and unassuming, but it has some beautiful bas-reliefs and stone carvings. These depict Boddhisattvas (Buddhist divinities) and other Buddhist figures.



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The Kejawen Buddhists of Central Java who practice mysticism or Buddhism believe that praying at Mendut will bring about the fulfillment of wishes. This bas-relief in particular is important to childless couples. They pray to this depiction of Hariti for children since Hariti is the symbol of fertility, the patroness of motherhood and protector of children.



Inside the temple, you will be greeted by a small room filled with three figures.



While Mendut is not a temple of popular use, it is once again being used for certain rituals. Aside from praying for certain wishes to be fulfilled, Buddhist devotees come to Mendut during the full moon of May or June to observe Vesak by walking from Mendut to Borobodur. Devotees take part in mass prayer while walking around the temples.

Pura Penataran Pande Peliatan

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.

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.



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.

Michelangelo’s Pieta

Shortly after 23-year-old Michelangelo Buonarroti arrived in Rome in 1497, he was approached by French Cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas for a special task. Cardinal Bilhères wanted an extraordinary sculpture made for his mausoleum in the Chapel of Santa Petronilla, the chapel for the King of France in St. Peter’s Basilica, and he wanted the very young and very talented Michelangelo to create it for him. Michelangelo accepted the commission and promised to create “the most beautiful work of marble in Rome, one that no living artist could better” (Jansen, 459). After returning from a short trip to Carrara, Italy, in 1498 to secure the best marble he could find, Michelangelo began working on the masterpiece now known as Michelangelo’s Pieta.

A Pieta is a style of artistic expression that depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus after He has been removed from the cross, the most common form being sculpture or carving. Michelangelo’s Pieta is made of Carrara marble and sculpted in such a manner as to make it appear smooth and fluid with arrested motion. His version of the Pieta remains one of the most impressive interpretations of  the first moments after Christ has been removed from the cross because of how much it diverges from the typical style and because of how much emotion he was able to capture in a scene that appears so serene. Even though his rendition of the Pieta deviates from the typical depiction of the scene, he does hold true to the basic theme of Mary cradling Jesus in her lap. This sculpture shows an adult Christ laying lifeless across His young mother’s lap as she mourns His death. Mary’s face is “serene and peaceful” (Ross) as she holds her son, who has just been removed from the cross. The wounds in His hands, feet and side are visible, but only just so. As with the rest of the details of his Pieta, the restrained inclusion of the crucifixion wounds was innovative in the art of creating Pietas.



When Pietas were first developed in Germany at the end of the 13th century they  were typically made to show the pain and agony of Christ’s death as well as the sorrow of His mother, Mary (Ross). Michelangelo’s Pieta, while holding true to the basic layout of a Pieta, was a new and innovative way to show the aftermath of the death of Christ. Aside from this being the first Italian Pieta, Michelangelo chose to use a classical representation of Mary by making her youthful instead of the typical middle-aged woman that she really was and he chose to show peace on her face instead of the usual sorrow and grief. The difference of how Michelangelo chose to create his Pieta is glaringly noticeable when placed next to a Pieta that has been made in the typical fashion, such as the Rottgen Pieta.







The Rottgen Pieta was created between 1300-1325 by an unknown German artist. It is 35 inches tall and is made of wood that has been painted. Aside from being made in a different century, in a different country and out of different materials, the concept behind the two pieces is the same: the Virgin Mary holding a deceased Christ moments after He has been taken down from the cross. Both pieces show Mary holding Christ in her lap, but that is where the similarities end. The Rottgen Pieta followed the traditional Gothic fashion of creating religious works that were full of anguish and somewhat gory. In Michelangelo’s rendition, he chose to replace the anguish with peace and the gore with “restrained emotional expression” (Ross) that was becoming popular during the Italian Renaissance. Another very noticeable difference is the age of Mary. Michelangelo followed the Classical tradition of making people youthful and attractive while the German artist made his Mary appear old, wrought with grief and obviously suffering. The German Mary is also thin and frail while Michelangelo’s Mary is healthy, busty and in the prime of youth.

Aside from the differences in how Mary is portrayed, Christ is very different as well. Michelangelo’s Christ, while deceased, does not show the anguish and suffering that He was sure to have gone through prior to His death. The wounds he received in His hands, feet and sides are present, but they are not as obvious and gory as the Gothic statue portrays. The Gothic statue shows Christ’s wounds in a manner to gain the viewer’s attention and be fully aware of the pain and suffering these profusely bleeding wounds would have caused.



Along with the wounds showing that Christ suffered before and during His death, the German Pieta depicts Christ as thin and weak. Surely this means He had suffered much before His death. But Michelangelo chose not to convey that message. He chose to create his Christ as strong and healthy, someone who was heroic and someone who was at peace with His death.

Another unique feature of this piece is Mary’s sash. In a move art historians are still trying to understand, Michelangelo brazenly signed his work on the sash that runs between Mary’s breasts. Was it a moment of egotistic zeal? The result of too much wine? A badly calculated coherent decision? Or was there some other reason Michelangelo inscribed his name in so awkward a place? We my never know the answer, but it still stands that Michelangelo brazenly inscribed the words “Michaelangelus Bonarotus Florent Faciebat” across the Mother of God’s chest. Until the end of time, or the statue gets destroyed, all humanity will know: Michelangelo Buonarroti Made This.





Because of the way in which he chose to design his Pieta and the message he chose to convey with it, Michelangelo’s Pieta is one of the most important pieces of art in the world. The features that make Michelangelo’s Pieta so beautiful and captivating are the same things that make it so unique and important. Michelangelo’s Pieta is serene and beautiful instead of anguished and gory as Pietas has been up until this point. His Pieta adheres to the principles of naturalism  so well that when combined with his careful attention to detail, it achieves a level of realism that hadn’t been seen for centuries, regardless of his accuracy of scale. Perhaps in part because it was the first Italian Pieta ever made and partly because of the peace that it conveys, Michelangelo’s Pieta has been moved from its original resting place in a side chapel to a central place in St. Peter’s Basilica, a major pilgrimage destination where people of all walks of life can see it and be inspired by it. The message conveyed in Michelangelo’s Pieta is one of peace and hope. By choosing to show Christ’s death as one of peace and quietude, Michelangelo is sending the message that death is not the end, that death does not need to be a heart-rending experience for us or the people we love. Michelangelo touched the hearts of the people of his time with his message and continues to touch people today. His Pieta has become one of the most well-known pieces of art in the world and will forever be one of the most beloved pieces in the Christian world.

The Great Mosque of Cordoba

In the southern half of Spain, in one of the oldest cities in the region, lies one of the most unique structures in religious history. Beginning in 152 BC, in a city that would become the capital of the Islamic Emirate and, for a time, the most populous city in the world, a sacred edifice was erected that has fascinated the public for generations. First, it was a temple built by the Romans, next it was converted to a Catholic church by the Visigoths and then it became an Islamic mosque built by Abd al-Rahman I in 784 AD before being altered in a way that has never been done before or since.  The Great Mosque of Cordoba is a monument to the religious changes that have taken place in Spain since the area was first populated.

In the 206 BC, Rome conquered the Carthaginian inhabitants of the area now known as Spain. For centuries Rome ruled the area that they named Hispania Ulterior Baetica, of which Cordoba was the capital. During that time, around 169 BC, Roman consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus built a temple to their god, Janus. In 572 AD, Catholic Visigoths conquered Cordoba and began converting the Temple of Janus into a Christian church that they dedicated to St. Vincent. A few short years later, around 710 AD, Muslim forces overran Cordoba and seized control of the city. For a time, Christians and Muslims shared the Church of St. Vincent, with areas set apart where Christians and Muslims could worship separately.



But then, in 766 AD, Cordoba became the capital of the newly-designated Muslim region of al-Andalus under the rule of Abd al-Rahman I. By order of Abd al-Rahman I, who purchased the Christian half of the Church of St. Vincent from the local congregation, the Church of St. Vincent was destroyed and a grand mosque put in its place. Over the next two decades, with the intent to recreate his birth city of Damascus, al-Rahman worked to design a mosque that would rival the Great Mosque of Damascus while incorporating local styles and elements. This mosque was begun in 784 AD and over the course of the next two hundred years, would receive various modifications and alterations by the Muslim rulers of al-Andalus. By the time the Great Mosque of Cordoba was finally completed over 200 years later, it had become the most innovative Islamic Mosque in the world.

The original Great Mosque of Cordoba was architecturally innovative for a number of reasons, though it did have features and characteristics that were common to that era. It is the use of those common features and characteristics that made this structure the fascinating marvel that it is. To examine fully whether or not the Great Mosque of Cordoba was truly an innovative masterpiece, let us compare it to the other prominent Islamic structure of that time: The Great Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Umayyad Mosque. The Umayyad Mosque was completed in 715 AD, a full 69 years before the Great Mosque of Cordoba was even begun, and was the most prominent Islamic building of the time, serving as one of the main architectural inspirations for the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Along with sharing architectural elements and themes, the Great Mosque of Cordoba also follows the tradition of Umayyad Mosque in being built over the site of a local Christian church. Aside from that feature, these two magnificent structures have various other similarities as well as several distinct differences.





Examining the exteriors of each structure, you will immediately see some architectural differences. Whereas the Umayyad Mosque uses arches mainly as a structural element, the Great Mosque of Cordoba uses arches as both structural and decorative elements. The Umayyad Mosque uses two sizes of a standard, simple, repeating arch while the Great Mosque of Cordoba uses a variety of styles, sizes and designs. There are poly-lobed arches, horseshoe arches and interlacing horseshoe arches. An interesting fact to note about the interlacing arches is that Islamic artists “[drew] from Christian traditions [and] a variety of traditions in creating their art [and] they also….mimic what we see in Christian art of the Romanesque period where we see a lot of interlacing arches and that’s very unusual” (Ross).



Another key difference of the exterior is that Umayyad Mosque has three minarets while the Great Mosque of Cordoba only has one, though it does not appear like one anymore and we will go into the reason for that later. Exterior similarities between the two mosques include the elaborately decorative doors with artistic elements around the doors, though the specific artistic styles differ; Umayyad Mosque utilizes stained glass while the Great Mosque of Cordoba displays intricately designed mosaics.



Moving on to the interior, we see one of the more distinct elements of the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Inside the mosque, there are 856 columns supporting a series of two-tiered arches that support the roof. This is called a Hypostyle hall. While the use of arches and columns was not unusual during and prior to the early-Christian era, the way the arches and columns were used in the Great Mosque of Cordoba was. Columns had been used for centuries in buildings such as the Parthenon and many early Christian basilica-styles church, but what makes the columns in the Great Mosque of Cordoba so special is that the number of them, 856, is “the most columns in any single building ever” (Ross). As for the style of the arches attached to those columns, that, too, is unique.



Bi-level arches had been used prior to the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Islamic, Christian and Roman structures such as the aqueduct bridges of Segovia and Pont du Gard, the Verona Arena, the Colosseum, the Great Mosque of Damascus, Dome of the Rock, the Basilica of San Vitale and Hagia Sophia. The difference, however, is that the Great Mosque of Cordoba did not separate the tiers with straight levels of brick or concrete. These other structures had a distinct separation of arches because the second or third sets of arches were usually on a second or third floor of the building. The Great Mosque of Cordoba did away with the common practice of putting tiered arches on separate and distinct levels by removing the separating plane from the structure and instead, extended the arch column up to support a second, freestanding arch. This created an innovative design that had never been seen before.



Aside from putting a twist on the traditional style of bi-level arches, the Great Mosque of Cordoba utilized a wide variety of arch designs and placement. The placement of multiple rows of arches in the layout of a church was something that was very common. What wasn’t common was using a variety of designs for those arches. Inside the Great Mosque of Cordoba are further examples of interlacing arches, poly-lobed arches, horseshoe arches, interlacing horseshoe arches and the standard single arch. Most of the arches have an alternating stone and red brick pattern while others are covered in mosaics.

The ideas for these different designs and their decoration came from Visigothic, Byzantine, Christian and Islamic styles. The horseshoe arch is a Visigothic feature, the interlacing horseshoe arch is a Christian feature and the alternating stone and red brick comes from the Byzantine tradition. This practice of adapting and incorporating previous architectural styles and local elements is what makes Islamic architecture so one-of-a-kind. “Islamic architecture is unique in the non-Western world in that it alone – not Buddhist, not Hindu, not Pre-Columbian – shares many of the forms and structural concerns of Byzantine, Medieval, and Renaissance architecture, having grown from identical roots in the ancient world” (Trachtenberg, 215).



Moving on through the interior we see further similarities between the two mosques. Both have enclosed courtyards, rectangular prayer halls and repeating abstract patterns adorning the walls. Islamic artists believe that by covering a space in patterns, it makes that space more holy and the reason these patterns are abstract is because Islam forbids the depiction of things observable in nature, so Islamic artists decorate their mosques in repeating floral motifs and other patterns inspired by what they see in nature. Almost every surface in both mosques is covered in some form of patterned decoration to create a luxurious and holy space. The Great Mosque of Cordoba displays these patterns by way of mosaic, which was “the most lavish way to decorate” at that time (Ross). This, though, is the last feature which the Great Mosque of Cordoba and Umayyad Mosque have in common.

The last interior feature of the Great Mosque of Cordoba is probably the most unique, and shocking, of all. While the original features of the mosque are enough to make this building an innovative piece of architecture, it wasn’t until after King Ferdinand III of Castile conquered the city in June 1236 that the most truly unique feature of this ancient masterpiece came to be. Desiring the magnificent edifice for their new place of worship, the local bishop ritualistically cleansed the building and declared it a Catholic cathedral. Soon after, various sections of the mosque were converted into chapels. Over the next 600 years, many other changes would be made to the mosque to bring it more in line with Christian churches, but the biggest change of all happened almost immediately.

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In 1252, Alfonso X succeeded King Ferdinand III and received permission from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to make the most extreme change of all: the insertion a full-sized Renaissance-style Catholic cathedral into the center of The Great Mosque of Cordoba, the removal of all but one minaret, and that one was converted into a bell tower. While this cathedral is striking and masterful, its inclusion caused incredible shock and dismay. Upon seeing the completed structure for himself, Emperor Charles V is said to have declared, “they have taken something unique in all the world and destroyed it to build something you can find in any city”



As you can see, the Great Mosque of Cordoba is an architectural marvel that is both innovative and typical. It includes several elements of architecture and style that were typical of the period when it was created, but it also has several elements that were innovative and unique. But these elements are not all that make this work an important part of art history. The elements that make this structure so important vary. One reason is that the Great Mosque of Cordoba was built about 175 years after Islam began, making it one of the first mosques ever built. Another reason why this structure is so important is because it includes the deliberate incorporation of so many local, Visigothic and Christian architectural traditions that would later become very influential in the building of future Islamic buildings. The final two reasons why this structure is so important are that it is the only mosque on earth with a cathedral inside and that it includes such a unique Hypostyle hall. The extensive use of arches and columns makes the gallery look much larger than it is and gives the illusion that it goes on for forever.

The Great Mosque of Cordoba is such a fascinating and timeless piece of ancient history. Even now, it still holds an important place in the hearts of many. Fought over for centuries by Christians and Muslims alike, the Great Mosque of Cordoba will forever be a place that stands for the harmony of artistic, architectural and religious traditions.

The Standing Buddha and Wat Indharavihan

One of the must-see items when visiting Bangkok is the gigantic, 32-meter (105 feet) tall Standing Buddha.



While it is unknown exactly when this site was first used as a temple, it has been recorded that a temple called Wat Rai Phrik was already standing here when Bangkok was first founded in 1782. It has been estimated that Wat Rai Phrik was built during the beginning stages of the Ayutthaya Period, which lasted from 1351 to 1767.

After Rama I founded Bangkok in 1782 he restored Wat Rai Phrik and renamed it Wat Intharam. That temple and the grounds remained mostly unchanged until 1867 when King Mongkut (Rama IV) ordered the creation of the Standing Buddha. This structure was complete in 1927, a full 60 years after it had been started. Perhaps part of the reason it took so long is that between 1910-1925 King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) ordered renovations to be done on the temple. Once those renovations were complete the temple was renamed Wat Indharavihan (also called Wat Intharawihan), which is what it is known as today.

 

The Standing Buddha is also known as Luang Pho To (also called Luang Por Tuad), a famous and highly revered Buddhist monk who was born in 1582. He mastered his Buddhist training at an early age and was ordained as a monk at age 12. Legend has it that he could calm storms, turn seawater into fresh water, solve complex puzzles that scholars were stumped by, perform miracles and possessed psychic powers. It is said that after his death he visited many people in their dreams and continued to bless people through the miracles he performed through their dreams. Soon after his death the Thai people began making amulets and statues in his image – he is usually depicted as an old man seated in meditation and hunched over.

Aside from the Standing Buddha, there are many smaller Buddha statues. I’ve read that some are further replicas of Luang Pho To, but was not able to figure out which ones were him and which were other monks. No matter who the statues are of, they are all in honor of the good deeds and strong devotion the monks exemplified in their lives. In 1964 and 1967, the current King of Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), Queen Sirikit and their children covered the forehead and the topknot of the Luang Pho To image with gold leaves, though none of the reports I’ve read about those events say whether it was the giant statue or one of the smaller ones.

As with most other Buddha statues, the Standing Buddha contains relics of the Buddha. Inside the topknot of Buddha lies relics of the Buddha found in Sri Lanka, which were a gift from the government of Sri Lanka and placed there by Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn (only son of King Bhumibol) in 1978. Since the Standing Buddha is in honor of such a revered Buddha and contains relics of the original Buddha, Buddhist people visit the temple complex every day to make offerings at the feet of the Buddha statue, bring flowers and other items and burning incense sticks. It is believed that the Standing Buddha possesses the power to bless worthy devotees with success.

Since to Buddha relics were placed in the topknot there has been only one other change made to the Buddha. In 1982, when  Bangkok celebrated its 200th birthday, restoration works were carried out and the Standing Buddha was decorated with Italian golden mosaics. No other changes have been made to the Buddha.

The area around the Standing Buddha and the actual temple aren’t visited as much as the Standing Buddha, but they’re worth looking at.

Inside Wat Indharavihan

The temple is located on Thanon Wisut Kasat close to the Rama VIII bridge over Chao Phraya river.  The temple is about half a mile from the pier.

Wat Wora Chet Tha Ram

Wat Wora Chet Tha Ram is one of the many temple ruins that dot Ayutthaya, the ancient seat of power in Thailand. This region was once a thriving metropolis at the heart of the Thai civilization, boasting over 1 million inhabitants in 1700. Traders and merchants from all over Asia, the Middle East and parts of Europe came here to peddle their wares and broker trade agreements.

But all of that came to an end in 1767.

In 1767,King Tong-U of Burma invaded Ayutthaya and decimated the kingdom. Very few buildings were spared as they razed the capital. After the invasion Ayutthaya was all but abandoned and the few remaining structures crumbled with disrepair.

Today Ayutthaya is a combination of UNESCO World Heritage Site and functional city. The ancient city of Ayutthaya was never rebuilt, but several years after the short-lived Burmese occupation a small village popped up near the site of the old capital. That village took on the name of Ayutthaya and is now a thriving city that preserves and maintains the ruins that are nearby.

One of the structures that survived complete destruction is Wat Wora Chet Tha Ram.

The sign outside the temple reads: This Temple is behind the royal palace inside the city wall to the west. According to Ayutthaya annals, the temple was built by King Eakathosarot circa AD 1593 the year King Naresuan the Great died while leading an army to attack King Tong-U in Burma. In honor of his elder brother, King Eakathosarot built a mighty crematorium here and some 10,000 monks were invited to the royal cremation.

The main ancient shrine of the temple is a large brick and mortar Sukhothai-style bell shaped stupa. Inside the temple walls there are many buildings used for religious ceremony making, such as Vihara buildings, Ubosot Building and two small redented stupas on the same base.



It is believed that this is where King Naresuan the Great was cremated.



The only remaining building on the temple grounds.

There are numerous restoration projects going on in the area and I really hope that Wat Wora Chet Tha Ram will be one of the sites restored to former glory.

Kuan Yin Shrine and the Legend of Miao Shan

The Kuan Yin Shrine has stood in a small Chinese community in Bangkok for almost 200 years. Before the current shrine, there were two other shrines on the site that were built during the reign of King Taksin, the only ruler of the Thonburi Kingdom of Thailand (1767-1782). Over the years, those two shrines fell into disrepair and King Rama III (1824-1851) ordered them torn down and rebuilt. Since then there have been minor repairs and upkeep done on the shrine, but for the most part it stands just as it did when it was built during Rama III’s reign.



As with most Chinese shrines, this one has a tragic story behind it. This shrine was built in honor of a princess known as Miao Shan, the youngest daughter of an ancient Chinese king named Miao Chuang Yen. Her mother was named Pao-ying and she had two sisters, Miao-yen and Miao-yin

Legend has it that Miao Shan was a very kind, gentle, virtuous and had a strong desire to help others. She was born with many birthmarks that the Chinese believe signify a persons holiness, but her parents despised her for the veneration she received. She dressed plainly and became known around the palace as “the maiden with the heart of a Buddha.” Almost all who came in contact with her were touched by her goodness and grace and converted to a pious life of Buddhism. All except for her father. He continued in his desires for power and wealth.

As a young woman, Miao Shan’s father arranged for her to be married, but she refused and told her father she wished to live a chaste life doing good for others. Her father was angered and tried various ways to convince her to accept his demand. The king and his wife tried to convince her, they sent her lady’s maids in to convince her and then he resorted to harsh treatment. He forced her to work in the garden and limited what she was allowed to eat and drink. Her two sisters came to her and begged her to end her suffering by submitting to their father’s wishes.

In the midst of all of this, Miao Shan told her father that she would obey him if it would prevent three misfortunes. When pressed for what she meant, she told her father that if her marriage would prevent old age, illness and death that she would gladly submit. They all knew this was not the case, so the king continued to punish her for refusing his demand.

Soon after, her mother and sisters were moved with compassion and asked the king to allow Miao Shan to follow her heart and live a religious life. The king relented, but only after he had contacted the nuns at the White Sparrow monastery and ordered them to make Miao Shan’s life as miserable as possible. The nuns were afraid of their king and did as he asked. Miao Shan’s life was full of hard labor and long hours. Even so, there were miracles surrounding her. The garden wherein she worked flourished during winter and harsh weather and a new spring bubbled up next to the kitchen.

When the king heard about these miracles, he ordered his soldiers to kill the nuns and bring Miao Shan back to the palace. When the soldiers arrived a heavy fog descended on the monastery and a spirit whisked Miao Shan away to various places until finally ending up at Fragrant Mountain. Miao Shan lived there for many years, living off the fruit of the trees and drinking from the streams.

Several years later the king became very ill and no doctor in his kingdom could cure him. When the king was on his deathbed a monk appeared to him and told him that the king could be cured if he could procure the eyes and arms of a person who was free from anger. The king was despondent at not knowing such a person, but the monk told him of a Bodhisattva (person who lives countless lives in an effort to ease the suffering of others) who lived on Fragrant Mountain. The monk told the king that he would obtain the two things he required if he would send a messenger to the mountain to ask the Bodhisattva for them. The king was desperate and followed the monk’s instructions.

On receiving the king’s envoy, the Bodhisattva thought over the things the king had done. How he disrespected the teachings of the Buddha, how he suppressed those who wished to follow the Buddha, he killed innocent people and he dealt unkindly with those who displeased him. Yet, as she thought of these things, she was moved with compassion towards his plight and gladly cut out her eyes and severed her arms in order to help him. She instructed the envoy to plead with the king to turn away from his wicked life and to embrace goodness.

Once the monk received the items, he made them into medicine which immediately healed the king. When the king tried to reward the monk, the monk told the king that he should be thanking the person who provided the arms and eyes instead. The king ordered a carriage to convey his wife and daughters to Fragrant Mountain to thank the Bodhisattva for giving him the items he needed to be healed. Upon seeing the Bodhisattva they all recognized her as Miao Shan and embraced her, weeping bitterly. As they embraced, clouds encircled them, music began to play, the earth shook and flowers rained down from the heavens. The holy manifestation of the Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes hung majestically in the air over them and divine attendants sang in celebration of Miao Shan’s compassion. In that moment, Miao Shan received her arms and eyes back, becoming as if they had never been gone from her. With a solemn farewell, Miao Shan departed back onto the mountain to continue her path towards Enlightenment. After she left, the king, queen and princesses built a funeral pyre and gathered holy relics which they then preserved. Soon after they returned to the mountain to build a stupa in which to house the holy relics of Miao Shan.




Ever since that day, Miao Shan has been known as Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. In Thai she is known as Jao Mae Kuan Im. She is greatly revered and shrine have been built all over the world in her honor.

Tháp Rùa: The Legend of Turtle Tower

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.