It shouldn’t come as a surprise why we are the dominant species on Earth today, so much so a geological epoch called the Anthropocene has been proposed due to the dramatic and profound impact humans have had on the planet. We are capable of creating […]
All posts tagged: Hindu temple
When the Sun Set over Champa
The 13th century was not a good time for many empires and kingdoms across Asia and Europe as this period marked the incredibly rapid expansion of the Mongols, who also happened to be the Yuan dynasty rulers of China. The Khmer Empire, a long-dominant power […]
Vijaya and the Defeat of Angkor
Trying to imagine how Vijaya looked during its heyday is difficult when you see what it’s like in the present. The day after we went to Tháp Bánh ĺt and Tháp Bình Lâm, we ventured even closer to what used to be the center of […]
The East Mebon & Pre Rup: Stately Legacies in Eastern Angkor
In the late ninth century CE, the Khmer people witnessed the establishment of a new capital of their fledgling empire under the rule of Yasovarman I, whose predecessors previously ruled from Hariharalaya. Called Yasodharapura (modern-day Angkor), the new center of administration began seeing the construction […]
Prambanan: The One that Keeps Calling
Do you have a special place that, for whatever reason, keeps calling you to return even though you’ve been there many times? I do. Those who have been following my blog for years wouldn’t be surprised if I tell you that such a place for […]
No Peacock at Candi Merak
Merak. In your language this word may or may not mean something, but in Indonesian it refers to the peacock, one of the most extravagant-looking birds whose visually-arresting plumage varies from metallic blue to bright green. It also happens to be what a candi (ancient […]
Candi Ijo: A Silent Witness of Change
We as modern-day tourists often see ancient sites as places that inspire us, leave us spellbound, or whet our curiosity of the world we live in. We perceive them and give them attributes based on our standpoint, making them objects of our fascination. But what […]
Madurai: Under the Watchful Eyes of 1,000 Gods
Our driver navigates the crowded, labyrinthine streets of Madurai to find our lodgings at the heart of this city of 1.5 million souls. Multi-story small hotels, shops, and restaurants are crammed into rows, a stark contrast to what we saw a few hours earlier in […]
Ngempon, Twelve Centuries Later
1,200 years ago in the heart of Java, Buddhism and Hinduism grew as the dominant religions of the people, signified by the construction of a multitude of temples in the island’s mountainous regions as well as the vast plains overlooked by mighty volcanoes. Around the […]
The Dutch, the Caretaker, and the Little Girl
Far from the bustling tourism hotspot in Bali’s south is the city of Singaraja, the capital of Buleleng Regency on the island’s northern coast. Founded by the king of Buleleng, Ki Gusti Ngurah Panji Sakti, in 1604 on an empty grassland surrounded by buleleng – corn-like […]
What an Amazing World! 