THAILAND ~ Bangkok - Wat Pho ~

...One of the many beautiful temples in Bangkok with an enormous Buddha...Thanks a lot Ravindra!!

Photo Pinit Srimuangkao What Pho,or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha is the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Bangkok. It is home to more Buddha images than any other Bangkok temple and has the largest Buddha in Thailand.

The temple is famous for its enormous gold plated Reclining Buddha image. The image named Phra Phuttha Saiyat was build during the reign of King Rama III in 1832 and is 46 meters long and 15 meters high.

The soles of the Buddha’s feet that are about 3 meters high and almost 5 meters long are inlaid with mother of pearl in 108 segments, showing in great detail the 108 lakshanas or auspicious characteristics of the Buddha.

Stamp:

Tourist Spots- Definitives
(Issued 05-07-2012)

SRI LANKA ~Budha statue-Maligawila ~

A wonderful example of Sri lankan heritage...a magnificent Budha... Thanks a lot Ravindra!



With lovely colorful stamps.

The Maligawila Buddha statue is a standing figure of the Buddha, which has been carved during the 7th century by a prince named Aggabodhi. It had been broken into several pieces by the time it was found in 1951. The statue was reconstructed and raised again in 1980 under the direction of the then president Ranasinghe Premadasa.

 It is 11 meters tall and is made out of a single block of limestone. It is the tallest free-standing ancient statue of the Buddha found in the country.

 Maligawila is a small village approximately 250km from Colombo. The statue was part of a larger complex which also included a large statue thought to be of the Avalokitheswara Bodhisatva and a gedi ge (A Buddhist shrine).


Photo Juergen Schreiber @Lasantha Lakmal

PAKISTAN ~Artefact of Gandhara - Peshawar Museum ~

Impressive and so beautiful carved Buddhist art sculpture...Budha seated on a lotus with round Him an adoring hierarchy of kings, elders, and old-time Buddhas... I never knew Pakistan has so many ancient Budhist sites...Thanks so much Hasnain!!


With great stamps also!!

The Peshawar Museum is a Museum situated in the historic city of Peshawar. The Museum has one of the largest and most extensive collections of Gandhara art of the Buddhist period and is considered to be one of the biggest collections of Buddhist objects in the world.

The display of Gandhara Art in the main hall includes Buddha's life stories, miracles, worship of symbols, relic caskets, and individual standing Buddha sculptures.Buddhist civilization of Gandharat flourished in northern Pakistan 2,000 years ago

Peshawar Museum was actually built in the memory of a famous queen named Queen Victoria and at first the original name of Peshawar Museum was Victoria Memorial Hall which later changed into Peshawar Museum when the museum’s head changed to a Muslim known as Dilawar Khan.

SRI LANKA ~Gal Vihara-Polonnaruwa UNESCO~

View of a "sacred place" showing probably the most beautiful Budha images of Sri Lanka in a wonderful  natural setting...card nr 50 received of this amazing island and most of them sent by my postcard friend Ravindra!! Thanks a lot!! :D



As usual great and colorful stamps!

Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa known as “The Northern Temple” in the beginning of its history, is a cave complex, about 27 meters in length and 10 meters in height at the centre and sloping towards the ends, with sculptures carved on the solid rock in four shrines and also known as the Cave of the Spirits of Knowledge.It is one of the most important Buddhist shrines. It takes the form of three colossal Buddha images carved out of a granite cliff.  Most prominent is the standing image, 7m (23ft) tall.Next to it is an enormous 14m (46ft) reclining Buddha. Two smaller, less skillfully carved Buddha images occupy niches in the rock nearby.

Polonnaruwa is the second most ancient city of Sri Lanka's kingdoms and the first declared capital city by King Vijayabahu I. Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best planned archaeological relic sites in the country, showing the grandeur of the first rulers.

The ancient city of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1982.

TAIWAN ~Buddhist zen meditation ~

...Nice painting showing a person practices meditation in a cave...The person who sent this wrote that meditation clears your mind an thoughts...It helps you a lot by concentration and emotion control...
...Sounds like something I should try  too ... (so different to our "Western" belief)
Thanks chenchaoan! (TW-847209)


With three nice stamps used

Zen is a part of Mahayana Buddhism, referred to as "Chan" in Chinese. There are different forms of meditation emphasized by Zen, one being "zazen." The goal is the attainment of awakening, or becoming enlightened. It focuses less on theoretical knowledge but the actual experience through meditation and dharma practices.

SRI LANKA ~Avukana~

... I was wrong, here another Sri Lanka postcard received in 2012...a large card with a huge fantastic statue on...had to look up how tall it was in meters...at a height of 12 meters is this the tallest Buddha statue in existence on the island... must be really overwhelming to stand next to him!!:D Many thanks Ravindra!!

As asual the back shows lovely stamps!!

This remarkable Budha Statue is 38 feet 10 inches in height. The statue here has been completely carved out of a large boulder still connected by a strip of rock on its back. It is believed to be the work of King Dhatusena (459-477AD) who constructed the Kalawewa reservori. There are some cave inscriptions belonging to the 1C BC and 8-9C AD at this Archeological site.

The Avukana statue is a statue of Buddha near Kekirawa in North Central Sri Lanka.