Archive for April, 2010
Buddha’s Apprentice

The custom of sending the second male child to the monastery prevails in Tibetan influenced parts of India. These children generally fell into 3 categories: pious believers, children of poor serfs and those sent to temples to meet a quota. Although life in the monastery is difficult and dull to many young children, modern day comforts have made their presence.

Apr 28, 2010 | Have your say »

Suryavarman II Sacred Angkor Wat

Built in the early 12th C as King Suryavarman II’s temple state and capital city, Angkor Wat was neglected after the 16th C only to be discovered by French explorer – Henri Mouhot – in the mid-19th C. Restoration begun in the 20th C and continues today by foreign parties despite the establishment of the Angkor World Heritage Site that provides funds to the Cambodian government.

Apr 21, 2010 | Have your say »

Java’s Hindu Triad: Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva

While Vaishnavism, Saivites and Smartism differ in their views of “the Hindu triad” or the “Great Trinity” that comprise of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Perserver and Shiva the Destroyer, the Javanese holds on to their very own beliefs and legend about the Prambanan.

Apr 14, 2010 | Have your say »