An Introduction:

Champasak lies in Lao, which is a landlocked country in South East Asia. Not as popular as it’s neighbors, Lao has remained unvisited by hordes of tourists.

Champasak as a town lies around 25 miles downstream of Pakse’s southern hub. It is accessible from the Ban Muang docks; you could take a boat down from the shore that is located opposite the highway, once you’re there.

A reminder of the town’s distinctive past stands in the form of a stone fountain, which is half decayed at this point in time. The entire town (well, literally almost all of it) is laid out on the stretch of a single road that runs parallel to the River Mekong.

There is hardly any traffic to speak of and the town is generally quiet. Which is exactly why it makes for a good stopover.

The Grandeur of the days gone by:

Champasak is like the backpacker’s paradise. There is, however, much more to this place than just a hammock nap or sweet banana milkshakes.

People in Champasak seem to have the ‘go with the river’s flow’ kind of mentality happening. The pace of things is leisurely.

The French were the ones who consolidated the region and added the ’s’ to its name – it’s currently called Laos. Before that it was called Lao and had three separate Lao kingdoms. One of them happened to be the Kingdom of Champasak; and the kingdom of the yesteryears is still seated in the town that bears its name.

You might find it difficult to believe that this town was once host to royalty. There is a little to remind you of the days gone by. But some of the colonial buildings remain standing; as lone witnesses of the sombre days gone by. These buildings carry with them the burden of time and humidity; both of which seem to have taken a toll on them.

You could make a trip down to one of those mellow restaurants at the riverside and sip on a beer as you watch the Mekong do its business of flowing by.

The Jewel of the Crown:

Champasak boasts of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins of Wat Phu Champasak are the unique selling point of this otherwise sleepy town. The temple complex of Wat Phu served as the nexus of spiritual fervor in the ancient times. It boasts of a culture that is as old as over 2000 years back.

There are frangipani blossoms that bloom at multiple levels of the site; and you could soak in the experience as a devotee as you ascend the stone stairs. You’ll pass statues that have been adorned in saffron robes and flowers that scream ‘fresh’.

The only time of the year when you might find it unlikely to get accommodation is during the months of February when there is the Bun Wat Phu Champasak festival. Buddhist revelers from across the world will come and partake in the festivities.

This temple is a well-preserved architectural design of a Song Dynasty monastery, a Buddhist Chan sect. In fact, this temple is the largest, most genuine, and a complete ancient temple structure in Shanghai. The Longhua Temple was initially built during 242 AD, during Three Kingdoms’ Period. As every temple or ancient structures possess some or the other story of its existence, this temple also has a past. According to a legend, the king of the Kingdom of Wu Sun Quan had gained Sharira relics. These were the cremated remains of Buddha. So to house all of the precious relics, he ordered to build 13 pagodas.

The Longhua Pagoda (Longhua Ta) which is the part of this temple complex is assumed to be one of the 13 pagodas. It is also believed that once a dragon appeared on the site. During the end of Tang Dynasty, this temple was destroyed in war and was rebuilt during 977 AD by the Northern Song Dynasty. Whatever architectural design you would see today, would be the replica of the original one. However,  modern restoration of this complete temple complex, was done in the year 1954. The temple covers an area of over 20,000 square metres, and the tallest structure at the site is the Longhua Pagoda, which stands at a height of 40.4 metres.

The buildings you can explore and admire in this vicinity are:

• The Maitreya Hall (Mile Dain) – houses a statue of Maitreya Buddha and his sign as Budai.

• The Grand Hall of the Great Sage (Daxiong Baodian or Mahavira Hall) – this is the main hall that houses historical Buddha’s statue and the statue of two disciple. Here you will find several remarkable statues.

• The Heavenly King Hall (Tianwang Dian) – it houses statues of Four Heavenly Kings.
• The Abbot’s Hall (Fangzhang Shi) – It is a place where lectures and formal meetings are conducted.
• A Bell Tower and a Drum Tower are set off the central axis. The Bell Tower accommodates a copper bell cast, which was built in the year 1382. The length of this Bell is of 2 metres, and possesses a maximum diameter of 1.3 metres, with the weight of 5 tons. On the Eve of New Year, the bell is used in the Evening Bell-Striking Ceremony.
• Off the main axis, you will also find a shrine to Ksitigarbha – Dizang the King Bodhissatva.
• There is one Library, which accommodates an assortment of versions of Buddhist sutras and some of the other Buddhist works, with the antiques, ceremonial instruments, and artifacts.
• You can also explore the artworks in the Longhua Temple, which includes statues of the Maitreya Buddha in the form of Bodhisattva and in the Cloth Bag Monk incarnation. Besides this, 18 arhats statues, 20 Guardians of Buddhist Law, and 500 Louhans statues can be explored.

• Head to the beautiful tradition garden on the grounds of Longhua Temple and revitalize yourself.

The temple structure was destroyed and was abandoned after the year 1911. However, the buildings were again constructed on the same site between the years 1918 and 1928. Today, a monastery of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, which is known as Jade Buddha Temple, entirely serves the foreign tourists and the local devotees equally. Even though, the Jade Buddha Temple is not so popular due to its architecture, its charm and beauty always boost the excitement of every person. The buildings are very new and were built in a standard Song Dynasty style. Inside the buildings, you will find the two Buddhas.

Both the Buddhas are made up of white jade in Burma and represent the Shakyamuni Buddha – the historical Buddha. Out of both the Buddhas, the most remarkable is the seated Buddha, which is of 2 meters tall and has weight of 205 kg. This Buddha is decorated with the beautiful semi-precious stones. Besides this, the other statue is very peaceful. It is a beautiful reclining Buddha, which has a length of nearly 1 meter. Tourists with high expectation visit this temple and worships Lord Buddha. For the entry of this temple, you need to pay ¥20. The temple remains open from 8am to 4:30pm.

There are several accommodation options near the site. In addition to this, there are many places where you can stay and pay a visit to Jade Buddha Temple. While exploring the temple, you will experience the Chamber of Four Heavenly Kings, Grand Hall, Jade Buddha Chamber, public restaurant, and few others.

The Chamber of Four Heavenly Kings includes statues of Wei Tuo Bodhisattva, Maitreya, and Four Heavenly Kings representing the favorable condition. The chamber lies on the southern-edge or in front of the temple.

The Grand Hall is also recognized as the Great Hall, which includes many different statues. Three Golden Buddhas is a wonderful sculpture where the central sculpture is of Gautama Buddha, the left side sculpture is of Amitabha, and the right side is of Bhaisajyaguru.

Gods of the Twenty Heavens is enclosed in gold and is rowed the eastern as well as the western sides of the Grand Hall.

18 Arhats are the exceptional golden Arhats, which is standing in two groups of nine.

Guanyin, Shen Cai and his 53 teachers is a large golden statue, which is of Guanyin and stands at the northern entrance towards the Great Hall along with Shen Cai at her side. With this, the sculptures symbolize the 53 teachers of his life above.

The Jade Buddha Chamber lies in the northern part of the temple, which is on the second floor. For this, you need to pay a fee of 10 yuan. From here, you can see few of the other additional Buddhist sculptures that stands in the antechamber.

At the site, you will get public restaurant, which lies on level two at the eastern border of the temple and is set with its own street entrance. The restaurant opens everyday and serves an assortment of noodle dishes for 5 yuan each bowl. The most popular dish here is double mushroom noodles. Besides this, the other dishes, which are served here, are available at reasonable prices. Go upstairs and you will have to enjoy the dishes with much higher prices, as you will enter the more upscale restaurant.

Apart from this, the temple also boasts a private restaurant, which serves the monks and temple volunteers. It is located at the western border of the temple complex. You will also get a visitor services office, which lies adjacent to the southern entrance. In fact, on the temple premises, a Buddhist library is also available.

The city is considered as the historical as well as cultural landmarks that feature 112 cultural relics; 15 venues, which reflect the culture of Chinese; and the 22 memorial sites. Out of this, the Temple of the Town God that is the Chenghung Miao in the city of Shanghai is among the countless religious sites that draws thousands of tourists from all over the world. Well, temples in China are very common, but this one is unique. As per the ancient Chinese tradition, you will get each Temple of the Town God of each city in the country.

The Temple of the Town God in Shanghai is a very popular stop for the locals. This temple is flourishing with the statues of the local gods and also with the spirits, which bring the good fortune. It was originally built in the year 1403 under the reign of Ming Emperor Yongle. This temple was dedicated to the legendary Han general Huo Guang and also the guardian city god, whose name was Qin Yubo. Over the time, most of the area of the temple has become a marketplace. It was transformed into a marketplace during the time of Cultural Revolution between the years 1966 to 1976. During this time, the temple was greatly destroyed.

Gradually, both the temple as well as the marketplace was restored during the early 1990s. Since the 15th century origins, the temple’s present version that is of the Chenghuang miao has been restored. However, even after this, the temple as retained its historic as well as authentic feel that lures the tourists to the fullest. Even today, you can see the statue of General Huo Guang that is placed in the front hall and also of Qin Yubo that is placed in the back hall, along with many other deities that represented the temple.

Residents frequently visit the temple and feels pride to have such a glorious and magnificent structure in their city. The Temple of the Town God is bordered by the reconstructed shops and also the restaurants of the traditional market. Besides this, the beautiful Yu Yuan that is known as the Garden of Content, which was created during the 16th century, also borders the temple. To reach to this site, you need to catch a metro at Nanjing Dong Lu. This lies at a distance of one mile away from the temple. The Temple of the Town God – Chenghuang Miao in Shanghai remains open from 8:30am to 4:30pm. To enter the temple, you need to pay ¥10 and explore the traditional site with the flavor of modern era.

Jokhang Temple is located in the heart of the old city of the Lhasa. It has the honor being the first Buddhist temple that was been constructed in Tibet. It is also supposed as the most temples among all the temples in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhists go to Lhasa as a pilgrimage throughout the year.

History:

During the early 7th century, one of the most important Kings of Tibet named Songsten Gampo got married to the princess of Nepal named Tritsun as well as to the princess of China named Wencheng. Both of the princesses brought with them a figure of Sakyamuni in Tibet. Songsten Gampo used to rule the Tubo Kingdom.

During that time there were hardly any buildings and people used to live in tents. There were no palaces. As it was required to worship and enshrine the two priceless statues they princess brought with them, it was decided that a temple would be built. As stated in many tales of the land many floods took place during the construction of the temple. Thus to avoid all the mishap it was decided that the temple was to be made on the lake. Sand was brought by the white goats to fill the lake. To memorialize the immense work of the goats earlier the Jokhang Temple was called Rasa which ‘goats carry the earth’ in Tibetan language. Whenever you visit the temple remember to see the statute of the goat which is placed in the hall. The statute of goat is covered with gold and is worshipped even today as the heavenly goat.

The Ramoche Monastery was been constructed to set apart the full-size statuette of the twelve year-old Sakyamuni. Also the Jokhang Temple was constructed to sanctify the full-scale statuette of the eight year-old Sakyamuni. In 710 AD, another King of Tubo got married to the Chinese Princess Jincheng. She had later interchanged the positions of the two figures. Today you will find that the 12 yr old Sakyamuni is placed in the Jokhang Temple also that the statue of 8 yr old Sakyamuni is kept in the Ramoche Monastery.

It was believed that there are only three full-scale statuette of Sakyamuni across the entire world. Also it is stated that the statuettes were made according to the features of Sakyamuni at the ages of 8 yrs, 12 yrs and 25 yrs. originally all the 3 figures were sanctified in India. The 8 yr old statue of Sakyamuni which was brought by Princess Tritsun was scratched also it is not in its full veracity today. 25 yrs old statute of Sakyamuni was misplaced. The 12 yr old statue of Sakyamuni is the most beautiful statute among them. It took around 3 yrs for the Princess Wencheng to bringing the statue to Lhasa from Chang’an. You cannot match the statute with any other statute in any way. The city of Lhasa is believed to be holy due to the divine statute.

How to reach:

You can fly down to Lhasa Gonggar Airport and from their hire a taxi or a car to reach the Jokhang temple. You can also you the public transport bus. You need to stop at the Tibetan hospital if you are using the mini-bus service. The tricycle is the best option to travel across the city.

When to visit:

The best time to visit Jokhang temple in Lhasa is from the month of April up to the month October.

Opening timings:

The temple is open for all its pilgrims throughout the year from nine in the morning to the six in the evening.

Entrance fees:

The entrance fees that is to be paid by everyone willing to visit the temple is CNY 70.

Batu caves came in prominence in 1892, when K. Thambossamy Pillai installed a statue of Sri Subramania Swamy in the caves. He found the shape of the cave’s entrance resembling a ‘vel’, the divine spear of Lord Murugan.  Since then the Hindu festival of Thaipusam has been celebrated at the caves.

The devotees have to go through a steep climb of 272 steps to reach the cave entrance. The largest of the caves is known as the Temple came and has a 100 meters high ceiling. The cave has many shrines of different sizes, all depicting the victory of Lord Murugan over Soorapadam .  Adjacent to the main cave, is the Ramayana cave which has a 15 meters tall statue of Lord Hanuman at its entrance, the monkey god. This cave has many illustrations of Ramayana.

During the festival of Thaipusam, devotees start their trip from Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Kuala Lumpur to Batu caves. They carry milk in decorated shoulder based carriers which are also known as kavadi’s.  Some of the kavadi’s are made of metal and have long skewers, as the devotees go into a state of trance; these skewers are pierced into their skin. Some Devotees carry hundreds of kg  weight and reach the Batu caver, where there holly journey get over after offering the milk to the god. The priests of the Batu caves attend to the kavadi’s by sprinkling holy ash on the skewers and piercings thus making sure that there is  no bloodshed when they are removed from the devotes body.

In the year 2007, 1.5 million devotees had gathered at the Batu caves, making it one of the largest gatherings in the history. Apart from the devotees, the caves are also visited by cynomolgus monkeys. Batu Caves have also become an important place for adventure sports offering more the 160 routes for rock climbing.

A once in a lifetime trip, absolutely undertaken is to the ‘Maa Panchu-baraha temple’ located in the district of Kendrapada, in the block of Rajnagar. The highly revered, nearly four centuries old temple is situated in a sea-facing village. The credence is that if one desires to partake in a voyage or entreat for one’s secure homecoming, then an offering in this temple would aid in taking care of one’s trip.

The ardent devotees make offerings of timepieces, different clocks, inclusive of even wrist watches to the goddess of safety and for the well-timed passage while going to and coming back from remote places. During the by-gone days of Satabhaya and its adjoining places, the locals required to travel far and wide in order to vend clothing, paddy, veggies and several articles. In the olden days, a travel via roadways or through water was considered being laden with perils, due to which the village dwellers would visit the temple prior to heading off on their ventures to remote locales.

The temple is highly revered amongst the transporting and travelling community. Several individuals who drive various forms of transport like buses, trucks amongst others make offerings of clocks with the staunch hopes that it would protect them from any road disasters. The eminence of the temple has penetrated to wide quarters, with countless followers thronging the temple premises to make their offerings.

The interiors of the temple are ornate with an assortment of clocks that embellish its walls. The heightened time when activity is at its zenith are at the times of the Indian festival ‘Dusehra’ during October and in ‘Pana Sankranti’ during March.

The warehouse of clocks received via offerings is later auctioned by the temple authorities as a means to amass funds to be routed to the temple’s refurbishment. The ritualistic clock offering is merely a century old phenomenon and thus considered quite recent is that matter. However, deemed olden or otherwise, the tradition has directly meant that the watch vendors in the close by Bausakani and Gupti villages are sure making merry on their detour from the bank, all thanks to the heavy clock sales, all in the name of God.

In the time period of several centuries, innumerable monuments have been constructed in reminiscence of the grand scenes of the life depiction of Buddha, but the one located in Polonnawura that was built during the twelfth century under the directions of the King Parakrambahu, is a spectacular piece of art form. It was built as a means of paying respect to Buddha’s last terminal moments when he attained complete Nirvana or peace.

The magnificent reclining Buddha statue also known as the Buddha in parinirvana portrays a fourteen metres long Buddha in the verge of reaching Nirvana. A gigantic yet superlatively poised figurine is whittled in a tranquil stance. It is an epitome of fine Sinhalese rock carving and has been engraved out of a huge chunk of granite that initially constituted a section of the King’s north monastery compound. The monument was initially held in its own enclosed space, which is evident from the hollow hacked into the rock at the rear of the statue.

The face dexterously speckled with variants in the innate hues of the rock is truly breathtaking. The anonymous sculptor has whittled the grand statue with ultimate gentleness that is discernible in the finer details. Even the support like head rest emanates a delicate depression beneath the head region and the sun wheel emblem found on the end of the bolster.

The Buddha’s absolute extinction as it is called instead of demise is partially signified by way of a higher elevated foot that is to some extent drawn within that depicts the pain experienced during the final moments. This Buddha monument exudes such superlative level of splendour that it was a source of inspiration for centuries of Sinhalese art form that failed to replicate its magnificence.

In spite of its horizontal posture, the statue radiates an air of immense stateliness and contentment, appearing to emerge innately from the striped, greyish granite cliff at its rear, giving an illusion that it was a part of the setting. The forty-six feet in length Buddha statue is seen lying sideways with one hand hoisted to his bolster having a sublime smile on his lips.

Bamyan

In the fifth century, Bamyan was instated as capital by the Hunas. It is amongst the vastly frequented locales in Afghanistan due to the crag of Buddhas, the colossal statues, the monk caves vestiges, the City of Sighs or Shahr-e-Gholghola that has the remnants of a primordial city that faced the havoc of Ghengis Khan. The trail up to the Shahr-e-Gholghola is dotted with red rocks with the view from the top proffering spectacular sights of the Bamiyan valley. One comes across the hilltop cluttered with remains of the conflict like shell coverings and ammo containers.

Also notable are its splendid vistas and the Shahr-i-Zohak knoll located 10 miles south of the vale, is the location of a fortress that stood sentinel to the city. Until the later part of the 1990, the remnants of bastion were still decipherable.

On the surface of the peak that is located close to the Bamyan city, are three majestic and gigantic statues engraved at a distance of four thousand feet spaced out. Among them, one of the Buddha statue towers 175feet tall, making it the tallest Buddha statue in standing posture. The olden statue was chiselled during the Kushan rule in the 5th century.

They were deemed non-Islamic and were wrecked by the Talibans during March 2001, though restricted endeavours to salvage its earlier splendour have met with insignificant success. During one point in time, nearly 2,000 monks offered prayers in the grottos embedded in the stone crags. Globally the most primitive oil based paintings were uncovered in the caverns placed at the back of the partly ravaged Buddha statues that was believed by experts to be made from oil extracted from either walnut or poppy seeds. These oil paintings are seen in twelve of the fifty caverns that date back to the time periods between fifth to the ninth century.

During 2008, archaeologists uncovered a sixty-two feet statue of Buddha alongside several intriguing remnants close to the ravaged statues. The discovered Buddha statue in a ravaged condition was in sleeping posture and believed to be dating back to the 3rd century. Close to eighty-eight other remnants that were uncovered comprised of ceramic ware and coinage.

The Band-e-Amir is a worth visit in Afghanistan. Being the premier national park to be opened in this place one is simply enthralled by the sights of the six cerulean lakes amidst spectacular scenery replete with hues of red and grey crags. One can undertake treks through the numerous hiking trails developed through the villages that have a few retreat areas taken care of by the locals.

Bamyan

The road tread to visit these magnificent statues is a torturous, close to ten hours drive by road, but the picturesque locales through the ride and the quaint, calm Bamyan village with its singular, spiralling road is a soothing variation to the chaotic existence noticed in Kabul. The ride commences at the street located south of Ghazni, an amazing road that metamorphoses into stony pathways, with evident stopovers due to scrupulous motor vehicle and complete body screening that are frequently undertaken in these parts.

One crosses past the two passes, the 3,300 meters towering Unai and Hakigak that is 3,700 meters tall, en route to Bamyan. The sceneries one passes by are truly breathtaking and constantly changing from the initially noticed five thousand meters tall ice-covered mountains, followed by gravelly aridness, gorges, further rock-strewn ledges, rocks in multicoloured forms and hues. One can notice the overwhelming signs of the conflict in the metallic relics strewn over the way, though the more disturbing signs are those of the numerous mine fields found in the Salang Pass, also observed amid Torkham and Kabul. A calming effect to watch the itinerant herd mongers living in their miniature pergolas speckled on the wide-open grasslands with their pack of camels, sheep and wilful dogs.

The village of Bamyan is covered mainly with one to two storied mud block homes with a predominantly Hazara minority populace. The mammoth dual Buddha statues that were ravaged by the Taliban insurgents during 2001 are close to thirty minutes stride from the village and the duo statues are nearly fifteen minutes walking distance apart from each other. The bare enclosed spaces where the two enormous Buddhas once soared can be viewed from any part of the village and further than it. Flanked between the two Buddhas are dozens of caverns that are at present abodes of the war migrants.

The magnanimous duo Buddha statues were carved into a sun-blanched rocky crag that gazed down at the valley located on the Silk Road for close to two thousand years. On both sides of the statues, the crag along the suspended alcove is seen pierced with multitude of caves.