01 Banaue Rice Terraces (Philippines)
The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2000-year
old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the
Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are
commonly referred to by Filipinos as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".
It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal
equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500
meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers
(about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient
irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said
that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe.
Read more after the break...
The Banaue terraces are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, ancient sprawling man-made structures from 2,000 to 6,000 years old. They are found in the provinces of Kalinga, Apayao, Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Locals to this day still plant
rice and vegetables on the terraces, although more and more younger
Ifugaos do not find farming appealing, often opting for the more
lucrative hospitality industry generated by the Rice Terraces. The
result is the gradual erosion of the characteristic "steps", which need
constant reconstruction and care. Via — Link
02 Ajanta Caves (India)
AJANTA is world's greatest historical
monument recognised by UNESCO located just 40kms from Jalgaon city of
Maharashtra, India. There are 30 caves in Ajanta of which 9, 10, 19, 26
and 29 are chaitya-grihas and the rest are monasteries. These caves
were discovered in AD 1819 and were built up in the earlier 2nd century
BC-AD. Most of the paintings in Ajanta are right from 2nd century
BC-AD and some of them about the fifth century AD and continued for the
next two centuries. All paintings shows heavy religious influence and
centre around Buddha, Bodhisattvas, incidents from the life of Buddha
and the Jatakas. The paintings are executed on a ground of mud-plaster
in the tempera technique.
Conjures before one's vision, a
dream of beauty- of caves, hidden in the midst of a lonely glen with a
streamlet flowing down below, caves that were scooped out into the
heart of the rock so that the pious Buddhist monk, out on mission to
spread the tenets of Buddhism could dwell and pray, caves that the
followers of Lord Buddha, embellished with architectural details with a
skilful command of the hammer over the chisel, with sculpture of
highest craftsmanship and above all, with the paintings of infinite
charm.
At Ajanta, the paintings on the
walls, illustrate the events in the life of prince Gautama Buddha, the
founder of Buddhism and in the more popular Jatakas stories pertaining
to Buddha's previous incarnation. According to the older conceptions,
the Buddha wrought many deeds of kindness and mercy in a long series of
transmigration as a Bodhisattva, before achieving his final birth as
the sage of sakyas.
Incidentally they contain the
scenes of semi-mythological history, the royal court and popular life of
the ancient times, as told in romances and plays. Some pictures recall
the Greek and Roman compositions and proportions, few late resemble to
Chinese manners to some extent. But majority belongs to a phase, which
is purely Indian, as they are found nowhere else. These monuments were
constructed during two different periods of time separated by a long
interval of four centuries. The older ones were the product of last to
centuries before Christ and belong to Hinayana period of Buddhism in
later part of 2nd century AD when Buddhism was divided into two
sections, after the conduct of the fourth general council under another
great king, Kanishka. Vai — Link
03 Sigiriya (Sri Lanka)
Sigiriya
(Lion's rock) is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin situated in
the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of
an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A
popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient
paintings (frescos),[1] which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of
India. The Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I (AD
477 – 495), and it is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri
Lanka.
Sigiriya may have been inhabited
through prehistoric times. It was used as a rock-shelter mountain
monastery from about the 5th century BC, with caves prepared and donated
by devotees to the Buddhist Sangha. The garden and palace were built
by King Kasyapa. Following King Kasyapa's death, it was again a
monastery complex up to about the 14th century, after which it was
abandoned. . The Sigiri inscriptions were deciphered by the
archaeologist Senarath Paranavithana in his renowned two-volume work,
published by Oxford, Sigiri Graffiti. He also wrote the popular book
"Story of Sigiriya".
The Mahavamsa, the ancient
historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King Kasyapa as the son of
King Dhatusena. Kasyapa murdered his father by walling him alive and
then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his brother
Mogallana, Dhatusena's son by the true queen. Mogallana fled to India to
escape being assassinated by Kasyapa but vowed revenge. In India he
raised an army with the intention of returning and retaking the throne
of Sri Lanka which he considered was rightfully his. Knowing the
inevitable return of Mogallana, Kasyapa is said to have built his palace
on the summit of Sigiriya as a fortress and pleasure palace. Mogallana
finally arrived and declared war. During the battle Kasyapa's armies
abandoned him and he committed suicide by falling on his sword.
Chronicles and lore say that the battle-elephant on which Kasyapa was
mounted changed course to take a strategic advantage, but the army
misinterpreted the movement as the King having opted to retreat,
prompting the army to abandon the king altogether. Moggallana returned
the capital to Anuradapura, converting Sigiriya into a monastery
complex.
Alternative stories have the
primary builder of Sigiriya as King Dhatusena, with Kasyapa finishing
the work in honour of his father. Still other stories have Kasyapa as a
playboy king, with Sigiriya a pleasure palace. Even Kasyapa's eventual
fate is mutable. In some versions he is assassinated by poison
administered by a concubine. In others he cuts his own throat when
isolated in his final battle.[5] Still further interpretations have the
site as the work of a Buddhist community, with no military function at
all. This site may have been important in the competition between the
Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri Lanka.
Via — Link
04 Leptis Magna (Libya)
Leptis Magna, also known as Lectis Magna (or Lepcis Magna as it is sometimes spelled), also called Lpqy or Neapolis, was a prominent city of the Roman Empire. Its ruins are located in Al Khums, Libya, 130 km east of Tripoli, on the coast where the Wadi Lebda meets the sea. The site is one of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins in the Mediterranean. Via — Link
05 Meteora (Greece)
Photo — Link
The Metéora (Greek "suspended rocks", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above") is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List under criteria. Via — Link
06 Bagan (Myanmar)
Bagan,
formerly Pagan, is an ancient city in the Mandalay Division of Burma.
Formally titled Arimaddanapura or Arimaddana (the City of the Enemy
Crusher) and also known as Tambadipa (the Land of Copper) or Tassadessa
(the Parched Land), it was the ancient capital of several ancient
kingdoms in Burma. It is located in the dry central plains of the
country, on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River, 90 miles (145 km)
southwest of Mandalay.
Bagan was submitted to become a
UNESCO heritage site but many speculate of politics as partly the
reason for the exclusion. UNESCO does not designate Bagan as a World
Heritage Site. The main reason given is that the military junta (SPDC)
has haphazardly restored ancient stupas, temples and buildings,
ignoring original architectural styles and using modern materials which
bear little or no resemblance to the original designs. The junta has
also established a golf course, a paved highway, and built a 200-foot
(61-m) watchtower in the southeastern suburb of Minnanthu. Via — Link
07 Valley of Flowers National Park
Valley of Flowers National Park is an
Indian national park, Nestled high in West Himalaya, is renowned for
its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty.
This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals,
including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue
sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park
complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park.
Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain
ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park stretches over an
expanse of 87.50 km².
The Valley of Flowers is an
outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been
acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in
literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer.
Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breathtakingly beautiful meadows of alpine
flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness
for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park is renowned.
Valley of flower is splashed
with colour as it bloomed with hundreds different beautiful flowers,
taking on various shades of colours as time progressed. Valley was
declared a national park in 1982, and now it is a World Heritage Site.
The locals, of course, always knew of the existence of the valley, and
believed that it was inhabited by fairies.
While trekking towards valley of
flowers, tourists can experience the beauty of shining peaks fully
covered with snow. Tourists can also see the beautiful view of
surrounding greenery and various running streams with crystal clear
water.
The valley is home to many
celebrated flowers like the Brahmakamal, the Blue Poppy and the Cobra
Lily. It is a much sought after haunt for flower-lovers, botanists and
of course trekkers, for whom a sufficient excuse to embark on a mission
to reach a place, is that it exists.
The Valley of Flowers is
internationally important on account of its diverse alpine flora,
representative of the West Himalaya biogeographic zone. The rich
diversity of species reflects the valley’s location within a transition
zone between the Zaskar and Great Himalayas ranges to the north and
south, respectively, and between the Eastern Himalaya and Western
Himalaya flora. A number of plant species are internationally
threatened, several have not been recorded from elsewhere in Uttarakhand
and two have not been recorded in Nanda Devi National Park. The
diversity of threatened species of medicinal plants is higher than has
been recorded in other Indian Himalayan protected areas. The entire
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve lies within the Western Himalayas Endemic
Bird Area (EBA). Seven restricted-range bird species are endemic to this
part of the EBA.
The Valley of Flowers was
declared a national park in 1982. This part of Uttarakhand, in the upper
reaches of Garhwal, is inaccessible through much of the year. The area
lies on the Zanskar range of the Himalayas with the highest point in
the national park being Gauri Parbat at 6,719 m above sea level. Via — Link
08 Tower of Hercules (Spain)
The Tower of Hercules (Galician and
Spanish: Torre de Hércules) is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a
peninsula about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the centre of A Coruña,
Galicia, in north-western Spain. The name Corunna is said to be derived
from the ancient columna, meaning column. The structure is 55 metres
(180 ft) tall and overlooks the North Atlantic coast of Spain. The
structure, almost 1900 years old and rehabilitated in 1791, is the
oldest Roman lighthouse still used as a lighthouse.
The Tower of Hercules is a
National Monument of Spain, and since June, 27 2009 the Tower of
Hercules is also considered an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the
second tallest lighthouse in Spain, after the Faro de Chipiona.
Construction and History
The
tower remains a sentinel from days long past. It is known to have
existed by the 2nd century, built or perhaps rebuilt under Trajan,
perhaps on foundations and just possibly following a design that was
Phoenician in origin. It is thought to be modeled after the Pharos
Lighthouse of Alexandria. At its base is preserved the cornerstone with
the inscription MARTI AUG.SACR C.SEVIVS LUPUS ARCHTECTUS AEMINIENSIS
LVSITANVS.EX.VO, permitting the original lighthouse tower to be
ascribed to the architect Gaius Sevius Lupus, from Aeminium
(present-day Coimbra, Portugal) in the former province of Lusitania, as
an ex voto dedicated to Mars. The tower has been in constant use since
the 2nd century and considered to be the oldest existing lighthouse in
the world. Originally it was constructed with an ascending ramp
encircling its sides, for oxen to bring cartloads of wood to keep the
light fueled at night.[citation needed]
The earliest surviving mention
of the lighthouse at Brigantium is by Paulus Orosius in Historiae
adversum Paganos written ca 415 – 417:
Secundus
angulus circium intendit, ubi Brigantia Gallaeciae civitas sita
altissimum farum et inter pauca memorandi operis ad speculam Britanniae
erigit” ("At the second angle of the circuit [circumnavigating
Hispania], where the Gallaecian city of Brigantia is sited, a very tall
lighthouse is erected among a few commemorative works, for looking
towards Britannia.") Vai — Link
09 Library of Celsus (Turkey)
The library of Celsus, in
Ephesus, Asia Minor (Anatolia, now Turkey), was built in honor of
Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus (completed in 135 AD) by Celsus’ son,
Gaius Julius Aquila (consul, 110 AD). Celsus had been consul in 92 AD,
governor of Asia in 115 AD, and a wealthy and popular local citizen.
The library was built to store
12,000 scrolls and to serve as a monumental tomb for Celsus. It was
unusual to be buried within a library or even within city limits, so
this was a special honor for Celsus. Via — Link
10 Torun' (Poland)
Source: santabanta.com
Torun' [?t?ru?] ( listen) (German:
Thorn (Ltspkr.png listen), Kashubian: Torn', Latin: Thorunium, see also:
other names) is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River, with
population over 205,934 as of June 2009, making it the second-largest
city of Kujawy-Pomerania Province, after Bydgoszcz. The medieval old
town of Torun' is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus. In 1997 it was
added to UNESCO's World Heritage List as a World Heritage Site.
No comments:
Post a Comment