Throwback Thursday – How a good luck symbol became one of terror.
“… it remains a symbol of auspiciousness – which sometimes leads to jarring images like this …”
Travel Pics Theme: T for Temples. Fiji’s Hindu Temple
The Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple is in Nadi, Fiji – and it is, like many Hindu temples, a continuous work-in-progress. The ceilings inside are covered in murals depicting adventures of the gods and scenes from the vedas – and as soon as the ceiling is covered, a section is whitewashed and a new mural is…
Travel Pics Theme: T for Temples. Transplanted temple – from Uji to Oahu
The temple in today’s #travelpic is a bit misleading .. it looks like a Buddhist temple in the mountains of Japan – but Japan is a country that Shirley and I are yet to visit. Instead, it is the Byodo-In temple on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. It’s a replica of a 900-year old temple in…
Travel Pics Theme: T for Temples. How a Sanskrit symbol became an emblem of horror
The word ‘swastika’ apparently comes from the Sanskrit “svastika” which translates roughly as “good fortune”. It’s been a symbol of luck and prosperity in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism for centuries – in fact, its first use predates all those religions by millenia – going back 11-thousand tears or more. But it’s also been used in Europe for…
Travel Pics Theme: T for Thailand
The theme letter for our travel pics this week is T, for Thailand For Saturday, its Buddha’s Burned Bones! Well, strictly speaking, it’s a reliquary that supposedly contains ashes of the Buddha, at a Wat, or temple, in Phuket. Wat Chalong is the most significant of nearly 30 Wats, or temples, on the island and in the Grand…
Travel Pics Theme: T for Thailand
The theme letter for our travel pics this week is T, for Thailand Lets start with a parish church – or the Thai Buddhist equivalent! Karon Beach is a beachside village about 10km from Patong, the tourist heart of Phuket. It’s largely a quiet backwater, especially compared to the Bangla Road and Paradise Complex areas of…
Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An
The theme for our travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An. There is a bridge at the edge of Hoi An Ancient Town – it’s called Japanese Bridge, and has been there for centuries – the first incarnation was completed in 1590, and the ornamentation remains faithful to that period. It was built…
Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An
The theme for our travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An – and today, we head to My Son holy land, about 40km away. My Son was built by the Cham people, who ruled Central Vietnam from 200AD to 1700AD until finally annexed by the Vietnamese in the 19th Century. Influenced by Hinduism they…
Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An
Friday marks a new week of images, and the theme for our travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An. This city in the centre of Vietnam is amazing – calm and relaxed compared to the frenetic, frantic pace of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or Hanoi. In its ancient city centre is the Chau…
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