Buddhistdoor Global (BDG)
Category Monuments
Monastic, religious, or sacred structures explicitly created as places of worship or commemoration and which are relevant to the cultural heritage due to their artistic, spiritual or historical importance.
Buddhistdoor Global (BDG)
Buddhistdoor Global (BDG)
The Mysterious Goddess Taleju Bhawani, A Terrifying Demon and the Living Goddess
Taleju Bhawani is considered as the goddess who made kings. Legend has it that the great Malla kings established their powerful dynasty because they were granted kingship by goddess Taleju. There are Taleju temples in the three royal palaces of Malla Kings in Basantapur, Patan and Bhaktapur.
When King Prithvi Naryan Shah conquered the three kingdoms of Kathmandu valley, he continued the tradition of worshipping the goddess Taleju and the living goddess Kumari, a .
The Ancient Town of Panauti and its Heritage
Panauti is one of the oldest towns in Nepal situated at the confluence of the two rivers Punyamata and Rosi. Legend has it that a third invisible river also meets with the two rivers, making it a Triveni (a scared place where three rivers meet). Many believe Panauti was named after the Punyamata river. Moreover, Panauti has been called by different names throughout history like Punyawati, Punyamatinagar, Panchal desh, Punanti and Palaati.
The Ancient Town
The .
Gokarneshwar – A sacred site on the bank of the Bagmati River
The Bagmati River is a sacred body of water to Hindus. A holy dip in the Bagmati river is said to free people from all the sins they have committed in this lifetime. There are numerous legends surrounding the formation of the river and the creation of temples on its banks.
Along with the great Pashupatinath temple, Gokarneshwar, also known as Gokarna is one of the holiest places located on the banks of river .
Colossal Buddha statues – sculptures of the Buddhist era
After the collapse of the Indus Valley civilization there is little record of larger sculpture until the Buddhist era.
During the 2nd to 1st century BCE in far northern India, in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara from what is now southern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, sculptures became more explicit, representing episodes of the Buddha's life and teachings.
Since then many Colossal Buddha statues were carved across the silk road and later beyond south Asia.
This is a .
Magnificent Buddhist temples in Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand.
The majority (93 percent) of the city's population is Buddhist.
Rama I (reigned 1782–1809) of the Chakri Dynasty (which remains the current royal family of Thailand) founded the Rattanakosin Kingdom.
Under Rama I, new temples were constructed at the new capital of Rattanakosin (modern Bangkok), such as the royal Wat, Wat .
Buddhist temples in Thailand – cultural & historical heritage
Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is similar to that in other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailand shares cultural and historical heritage.
In addition to the ecclesiastical leadership of the sangha, a secular government ministry supervises Buddhist temples and monks.
According to the Office of National Buddhism, there are 41,205 Buddhist temples in Thailand of which 33,902 are active.
31,890 are .
Buddhist monuments and the Kings of Patan
Long time ago, King Sarvananda of Dipavati invited sages around the country for distributing alms. Dipankara Buddha, a Buddha who reached enlightenment prior to Gautama Buddha, was also invited. However, instead of visiting the palace, Dipankara Buddha visited a nearby hut belonging to an old lady.
In late 2021, a 1400-year-old stone inscription was discovered in front of the Bhimsen Temple at Patan Durbar. It was kept there by Lichhavi ruler Anshu Verma. The inscription .
Buddhist Stupas in Thailand – The golden architectural era
Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is similar to that in other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailand shares cultural and historical heritage.
During Ram Khamhaeng's reign, stupas were built, reflecting the Sri Lankan influence. One of these is Wat Chang Lom.
Thai travelers to Sri Lanka also brought back the root of a Bodhi tree, which began the Thai tradition of .
Buddhist Stupas in Nepal – The relics of the Buddha
Stupas in Nepal date back to the Licchavi period.
Swayambhunath is one of the oldest known buildings in the country and was likely built in the 5th century.
It was built in Swayambhu, Kathmandu, where the land was declared as sacred to Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), by the 3rd Emperor of the Maurya Dynasty Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE.
According to the legends, the stupa came out of a sacred lotus at the centre .
Buddhist Stupas in Pakistan – Wonders of the Kashmira-Gandhara region
Buddhism in Pakistan took root some 2,300 years ago under the Mauryan king Ashoka who sent missionaries to the Kashmira-Gandhara region of North West Pakistan extending into Afghanistan, following the Third Buddhist council in Pataliputra (modern India).
Majjhantika, a monk from Varanasi was the first Buddhist to preach in Kashmir and Gandhara.
Buddhist sites in Sindh are numerous but ill preserved in various stages of deterioration.
Sites at Brahmanabad (Mansura Sanghar district) include a Buddhist stupa .
