Temples in India are a visual delight, and a moral support for the pilgrims who visit these holy regions. The Ozar Vigneshwara temple is one such beautiful religious spot located in the district of Pune in the state of Maharashtra in India. With the presiding deity as Lord Ganesh, this is a fantastic region of ideal pilgrim pleasures located on the banks of the River Kukadi. It is one of the most holy Ashtavinayak temples in the state of Maharashtra.

With the most luscious surroundings, and the greenest ambience, the temple presents the best sights with the most tranquil surrounding. With the serenity that is available here, this is an atmosphere that is irresistible. It is believed that the idol here is a Swayambhu and has come up on its own. The devotee is filled with a pleasure that is immeasurable and the pilgrim feels blessed and finds himself in a divine land.

Legend

Legend has it that the Indian God Lord Ganesh traveled on the back of a mouse and this temple has an idol of a mouse which is quite enchanting. It is said that Lord Ganesha defeated the demon Vignasura and thus the temple is built for this defeat.

History has it that Chimaji Appa was the brother of Peshwa Baji Rao I and was also the military commander here. He got this temple renovated and covered the entire shikhara or the temple spire with gold after he captured the Vasai fort from the clutches of the Portuguese. In the year 1967, this temple got renovated by Appa Shastri Joshi who was a devotee of  Lord Ganesha.

Location

Located around 85 kms from the city of Pune, this lies on the Pune Nashik highway. This is located in the taluka of Junnar this lies close to the Yedagaon dam which has been built here.

The temple

The seventh in the line of Ashtavinayak temple routes, the Ozar Vigneshwara temple is however is visited fifth in the line as it is more convenient.

The temple has a dome made of gold, and the architectural splendour of the temple is a thing to reckon with. There is a cave here belonging to the ancient times and there is also a memorial which is dedicated to Swami Brahmanand. This Hindu temple is dedicated to the God of Wisdom Lord Ganesha.

The temple faces east and has a spacious courtyard, a magnificent entrance, and a lovely mural and sculptural work which is enviable. Surrounded by a compound wall this temple has a lovely gateway that is bordered by two gatekeepers made of stone. This sculpture of the Dvarpala is a fascinating piece of architecture here which enthralls most tourists and pilgirims. From here one can see the shrine of Lenyadri and also the fort of Shivneri in the distance. There are two lamp towers here at the gateway and these overlook a lovely corridor of arches which number seven of them. There is a small room for meditation and this lies on the side of the gateway. The tiled courtyard with the three entrances to the temple with sculptures on either side has beautiful lintels adorning them. The central temple has the lintels of Ganesha with monkeys and parrots surrounding Him. This temple has a 20 feet high hall which has entrances going to the south and the north. Her one sees the Dhundiraj Ganesha image. Then there is a 10 feet high Ganesh which has a marble mouse which is the holy vehicle of Lord Ganesha. With beautiful sculptures and a equally fascinating outer path or the Prakarams, the temple is a pristine destination for all devotees of Lord Ganesha.

The central image is the Swayambhu with the elephant faced stone exuding a brilliance and the trunk turned to the left and covered with vermillion. With emerald eyes with diamond studded forehead and navel the Ozar Vigneshwara temple is a great place to visit.

Witness to great religions of the past – Jainism, Brahmanism and Buddhism, the caves show the level of tolerance and integrity that this country has been possessing since ancient times. Belonging to the middle ages, the Ellora caves are a representation of the beliefs of three religions. There are 12 caves of the Buddhist group which have monasteries and a large cave temple. Then the Brahmin group of temples which are popular as the Cavern of the Ten Avatars is the next set of temple caves here. The Brahman group is inclusive of the Kailasha temple which lies in the Cave No. 16. It is believed to have been built during the time of Krishna I. Then you have the Jain caves where you have sanctuaries and these have been created by the Digambara sect.

These caves were excavated between the 5th and the 7th centuries. At this time, the Mahayana sects were popular. The Cave 5 is the largest of all these caves. There is a chaitya hall in Cave 10 and is known as the Visvakarma. Then there is a great façade with lot of ornamentation and has a gallery with a beautiful Buddha image which lies on the stupa. Cave 12 is very historical as it is here that the human expertise is seen in having built the three storied building from rock structures. The construction is so perfect that the floors and the ceilings are leveled and absolutely smooth. The tin Tala cave is a chapel and monastery with many cells. The cave belongs to the time of the Rashtrakutas.

The Brahmin caves are predominantly towards the God Shiva. With a lot of rock cut temples, the architectural splendor of this cave is enthralling. Cave 16 has a Shiva temple and is named after Shiva’s abode Kailasha. There is a shrine which has a lingam here and there is a tower which is Dravidian in style and a pavilion or mandapa which has a flat roof. There are 16 pillars that support this mandapa and then you can see Nandi sitting on a separate porch. An open court surrounds this entire place and this place can be entered through a low spire. There is a sculpture depicting Ravana lifting the Kailasha Mount and this is a perfect example of historical excellence.

Then you have the Jain caves which are quite huge and massive in proportion. There are many decorative exhibits here and these caves show that here is where the last activity of Ellora caves took place.

The Aachen Cathedral is one such Catholic Shrine in this part of the world providing the greatest tour experiences. So come to this land and enjoy the pleasures of being in this part of the world and experience the lovely architectural structure, and the beautiful designs here which lend beauty to the eye of the tourist. Also called the Kaiserdom or the Imperial Cathedral, this is a great structure with the ideal historical and architectural importance. It was Charlemagne who constructed in the year 805 AD. The special design in this structure is very much influenced by the German kind of architecture and has greatly majestic coronations and also has been having pilgrimages for many centuries.

So when you are in your tours of Germany make sure that you visit the Aachen Cathedral and come back with this lovely medieval experience which is a great pleasure. It has a lot of treasure dating back to the early medieval period so the Charlemagne’s throne that is a great attraction is a wonderful visual delight for the tourists coming here. There is also a golden altarpiece and a golden shrine besides of course the golden pulpit which provides a great tour delight in this part of Aachen Cathedral. The Cathedral Treasury has many things on display here and so the traveller is filled with the most resplendent travel kitty.

Karl Der Grosse or Charlemagne was the first Holy Roman Emperor and he began constructing his palace chapel in the year 786 AD. The Palatine Chapel has always been a great symbol of Carlingian architecture and was recognized as a World Heritage site in the year 1978. Today all that we see is the ruins of the huge palace complex that it was.

It was Odo of Metz who designed the chapel and he based it on the lines of the Byzantine church in San Vitale in Italy. So the very eastern tinge that you see here is attributed to this. The shape is octagonal and with marble floors and striped arches, the lovely mosaics and ambulatory totally lend a lot more to the eye than sees it. Consecrated in the year 805, it was the imperial church later.

Charlemagne was an individual who had the habit of collecting a lot of relics. Today all these are seen in the Aachen Cathedral. Amongst these relics the cloak of the Blessed Virgin, the loincloth of Christ, the cloth on which St. John’s head lay after he got beheaded, are all a point to mention.

Sometime in the middle Ages, the relics had the capacity to attract a lot of pilgrims from countries like Hungary, Austria and Germany besides of course Sweden. Sometime in the middle of the 14^th century, the four relics began to be shown only once in seven years. Then this process became a custom and till today this is how it is. We get to see the relics only once in seven years. 2007 was the last time people saw it.

Charlemagne died in 814 and was buried in the choir of the chapel. Then in the year 1000 AD, Emperor Otto III opened the vault and was amazed to see the way the body was preserved and it was seen seated on a throne made of marble and with full grand robes dressing him. There was a crown on his head and Gospels on his lap. His hand held a scepter. There is in fact a large mural which shows Otto and his nobles looking awestruck by the dead Emperor and it there in the Town Hall for people to see.

This vault was again opened by Emperor Frederick Barbaross in the year 1165 and the remains were placed in a sarcophagus made of Parian marble. It is said to be the one in which Augustus Caesar was buried. Charlemagne was canonized the same year.

The shrine got a chandelier made of bronze in the year 1168 and it is still there today.

With more such sights, this lovely structure Aachen Cathedral is surely a great monument to visit in travels in Europe.

The Baroque unlike the Renaissance style was connected to the Counter Reformation movement that existed in the Catholic Church. The architectural style mainly was accessible to the emotions and made a statement of power and wealth in the Church. This new style has been seen in the religious orders like the Jesuits and the Theatines.

The High Roman baroque architecture is seen in the reigns of Urban VIII and also Alexander VII and spread from the years 1623 to 1667. Gianlorenzo Bernini, Pietro da Cortona and Francesco Borromini were three main architects during this time.

The total manner in which Baroque architecture spread to the south of Italy is what the reason behind the Sicilian Baroque architecture is. Again the Naples and Leece form of Baroque architecture is also very famous. There have been other experts like Camillo Guarino, Bernado Vittone, Guariani, and Filippo Juvarra who made a lot of Baroque paintings to the Turin city and also the region of Piedmont. The total synthesis of the Borromini, Bernini, and Cortona’s architectural style is a style that was done in the late Baroque kind of architecture in the northern part of Europe. This actually made way for Rococo style.

The Baroque architecture then found its way through the palaces that is the Chateau de Mansions in France in the year 1642. This was made by Francois Mansart and then spread throughout the continent of Europe.

Rome has many buildings belonging to the baroque style of construction and the lovely ecclesiastical Roman buildings had plans to build an Italian Basilica with a dome with a cross but the architecture that was done was slightly different. The first Roman structure that came up and tried to break the conventions is the church of Santa Susana which was designed by Carlo Maderno. The columns and pilasters in the structures and central massing along with the decoration and the protrusion add great complexity to the entire monument. With shades of classic designs this has a lot of rigor and complexity. So all the concerns with massing, plasticity and shadow is seen in the architectural works as in the case of Pietro da Cortona.

The Santi Luca e Martina construction began sometime in 1635 and was maybe the first Baroque church that had a curved façade in Rome. Then he reworked the Santamaria della palace which is also great work of Baroque architecture. The façade has chiaroscuro the half domed portico and along with the wings, totally resembles a theatrical stage set and the entire façade projects forward such that it totally fills the piazza which is trapezoidal in shape. Then there are other Roman Baroque works which are totally suffused with theatricality and give great focus in the surrounding regions.

The St. Peter’s Square is another great masterpiece of Baroque theatre. With the piazza designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, this is made up two colonnades with columns that are free standing and are centered on an obelisk of Egyptian variety. Then there is the oval church of Sant Andrea al Quirinale which is a marvel with the polychrome marbles and the beautiful gold dome which is decorated in a secular manner.

Francesco Borromini was Bernini’s rival and he brought about designs that were a general deviation from the usual and they had the best compositions of the Renaissance and the ancient world. The plans were normally on figures which were drawn geometrically and the lovely spaces seemed to contract and expand whenever needed. This showed a lot of similarity the Michelangelo style. The San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane church is a masterpiece which is entirely Borromini’s work of art.

Baroque architecture has its special style and design and has intrigued many people who are passionate about such structures.

Consecrated in the year 1801 on the nineteenth of November, the initial area was around 3.60 by 3.60 metres square. The structure was just a building with a single ground floor. With brick walls measuring up to 450 mm there was an old pattern of dome here and there was a kalash above. There were parapet walls around the dome and there were grills around it which protected the security of the temple.

Located on the junction of the S.K.Bole Marg and Kakasaheb Gadgil Marg, this temple was built by a professional Late Mr. Laxman Vithu Patil. There was a very rich lady called Deubai Patil who was from the Agri Samaj in Matunga. Today she is no more but in those days it was this lady who got the idea of constructing a temple. She had no child and said that since she was childless, she wanted to build this temple for all those ladies who are childless and would get a child after praying to this lord. Considering all the tales and stories related to the temple, the powers of this Lord don’t go unnoticed. The Lord here is also known as the “Navasach Ganapati” or the “Navasala Pavanara Ganapati” in Marathi. It is believed that this Ganapati always blesses his devotees with the best and with whatever they ask for.

This idol was apparently carved out of a single stone. It measures around two feet and six inches in height and around two feet in width. The trunk is turned to the right side. This is considered to be an unusual form of this God of obstacles Lord Ganesha. The upper right hand has a lotus and the left hand also has an axe and a lotus. The lower right hand has a rosary and the lower left hand holds a bowl of modak. There is a snake on the left shoulder to the right stomach side. Riddhi and Siddhi are two Goddesses who are shown sitting on either side of Lord Ganesh. The temple is known as Sidhivinayak because of the presence of these two Goddesses. These Goddesses indicate success, sanctity, prosperity and wealth.

It is said that around a century and quarter back, late Ramakrishna Jambhekar Maharaj who was the disciple of Swami Samarth of Akkalkot, who was a great devotee of Lord Ganesh and Gayatri Mantra got a blessing of Siddhi. Swami Samarth told Shir Jambhekar to bring the statues and bury all except two in the courtyard of Shri Cholappa who was another disciple. Then the Swami asked Shri Jambhekar to keep the two statues in front of the Lord in the temple.

At that time Shir Jambhekar had said that on the place where he buried the idols there would be a mandar tree and a self image of he God would arise after twenty one years. This is the present day temple of Siddhivinayak.

It is said that while the road extension project was being constructed in the Elphinstone Road, the workers found an idol of Shree Hanuman, so they placed it on the road and then later the Hanuman idol was brought in the temple and there was a small temple built for it. Today the Hanuman temple is another much visited temple and devotees visit this temple here with great fervour on Saturday.

The Siddhivinayak temple is a great temple destination in the city of Mumbai in India. Do visit it and rekindle the spirituality within you.

Tourists are attracted to the lovely architectural elegance that are so much a part of this place and the Oriya style here is very popular here. The place is known very well for its hot springs and there are many legends related to this place.

Also called Bakreswar this is a very well known and popular pilgrim spot here in this part of the world. Situated in the state of West Bengal, this is around six miles to the north western part of the Durbajpur railway station and lies on the Andal Sathia railway station of the Eastern railway. There is great scenic beauty here and the place with its legendary values is among the 51 Shakti Peeths in the entire country.

Legend has it that Sati was deciminated by the holy Sudarshan Chakra of the Indian god Lord Vishnu. Then one of her body parts fell in this region of Bakreswar and also fell in the areas of Kalighat and Tarapith in the Kolkata city. So this is included among the great legendary Shakti peeths and is a greatly revered spot in the state of West Bengal.

There is another legend that is attached to the way the place got its name. It is said that there were two sages Lomas and Subrita got an invitation for the swayamvar of Goddess Lakshmi. When they came the host received Rishi Lomas first. So Sage Subrita got angry and his anger was so strong that his nerves got twisted into eight parts. So he got the name Ashtabakra Muni. So this disfigured form wandered in the earth till he reached Kashi where he had plans to worship Lord Shiva. When he arrived he was told by a divine voice that he had to worship Lord Shiva in Gupt Kashi which is in the east. So he came to Bakreswar where he began to meditate and tried to please Lord Shiva. Shiva pleased with him, asked him to build a temple which was then constructed by Vishwakarma who is believed to be the architect of heaven. This is how the temple of Bakreswar came into being. Lying on the River Bakreswar this is a beautiful temple to visit in the state of West Bengal.

This temple is the most exotic form of the Oriyan style of architectural construction and is a splendid manifestation of the best Indian constructional styles. The Hot springs here are the main attractions and pilgrims here come to take a dip in these holy waters. This is an interesting site to be in as it gives total pilgrim pleasures to the devotees who come here to revere Lord Shiva.

As the river Bakreswar passes through this town, this is a lovely sight and the entire region has a lot of geological interests. The hot springs here are the main attractions here.

So see the hot springs here which are the Paphara Ganga, the Bairtarni Ganga etc.

The Khar Kunda is also a lovely hot springs here which is around 66 degrees Celsius. Then you have the AGni Kunda which means the hot spring of Fire. The water here is around 80 degrees Celsius. With the greatest deposits of sodium minerals and also potassium, silicates, chlorides, sulphates and bicarbonates, this is a spring which is said to have a lot of medicinal properties. There are also some pieces of radioactive elements here.

Then there is the Dudh Kunda which is the hot spring which has milk. The water here is a dull white colour which gives the feeling of it being like milk. This is due to the ozone concentration and the water in this spring is around 66 degrees Celsius.

Also see the Surya Kunda which means sun. The water here in this spring is around 61 degrees Celsius. Then you have the Shwet Ganga and Amrita Kunda and Brahma Kunda.

Come here and enjoy the pleasures of being a temple and also experience the delights of being amidst hot springs in Bakreswar.

With the most pleasant travel delights and the most fascinating religious experiences enjoy the pleasures of being in Bakreswar in West Bengal.

Ramesses II took over, modified and also built many buildings from the ground and some of them are really splendid. It is actually built according to the Royal Burial practices. it is a place of worship that has been dedicated to the Pharaoh and this is where his memory has been kept alive even after he died. There are many records that show that the work on this monument stared a little after his rule and then continued for around 20 years.

Ramesses II constructed the Ramesseum the beautiful mortuary temple in the venue of the Set I’s a ruined temple where he totally could relate to Amun, the local form of the Divine. The temple started early during his rule and took around 20 years to finish. Diodorus described this as the tomb of Ozymandia. It is believed that it was greatly inspired by averse by Percy Bysshe Shelly who was a great poet. There is also a sacred library that is mentioned by Diodorus but actually there is no proof today of its existence. The Egyptologists have tried in vain to find testimony to this. This great temple has show to be a competition to all the wonders that are found in Abu Simbel and is very much akin to the architecture there. But Ramesses is believed to have constructed the temple very near the Nile and so it is said that the flood waters affected the region. So today there is only one colonnade that remains in the First Courtyard.

The funerary cult of the king was celebrated in the main building and this was a normal stone built temple of those times. It had two successive courtyards and the entry points were built of pylon. There was a hypostyle hall which had surrounding attachments. The pylons are old structures which are decorated with a lot of scenes depicting battles that took place here. So you get to see the Battle of Qadesh or Kadesh where you can see Ramesses fighting with the Hittities. He is shown having a counterattack standing in the chariot and firing arrows with great precision at the fleeing Hittities.

The second court is better than the first. it is flanked in both the west and the east by pillars with porticos and has beautiful statues of Osiride. These are statues which show Ramesses being called for taking birth again in a new life and he is shown tightly wrapped with his arm crossed. He is also shown holding his scepters.

There is hypostyle hall that has a beautiful ceiling in the middle. There are traceried windows which are lit and behind the structure on the interior wall is a beautiful scene depicting the capture of the Dapur fortress in Syria. Then there is a scene depicting Amun RE giving scepters to RamessII. The Hall takes you to a room for the sacred bark and also sanctuary.

There is a royal palace and many granaries made of mud brick and also store rooms. There is also a small temple which is dedicated to Tuya who is Ramesses mother and Nefertari his wife.

There is a shaft tomb of a priest belonging to the Middle Kingdom under the floor. This was excavated in the later half of the 19th century by James Quibell. This is a very interesting discovery and has shown a lot of magical and religious artifacts which also includes the statue of a woman. She is shown wearing a lion mask with two snake wands in here hand. Then there is a female fertility figure, a magic rod, an ivory clapper and also a box of papyri which is filled with the widest variety of literary and magical texts.

All in all the Ramesseum is certainly a place to visit in Egypt.

While on pilgrim tours in India, the churches here form a major tour locale. The church of St. John the Evangelist is one such church which is popular in Mumbai. Also called Afghan Church is actually a Presbyterian Church which is found in the Southern part of Mumbai in India. It was the British who built this and they constructed it in reverence of the dead who died in the war between the Afghans and the British. The first Afghan War of 1838 saw many disastrous deaths in this part of the world. The church was built commemorating all those who died during the war.

It is situated in the Navy Nagar in the Colaba region of Mumbai. It is built in the memory of all the soldiers in many languages. It also reveres the Madras Army, the Bombay Army, and the Ranjit Singh’s army from Lahore. There are records which show that  only  Surgeon William Brydon who was a medical officer, who survived and came back to Jalalabad and narrated the tale of the war. Out of the 16,000 men who fought in this battle he was the single survivor who braved the battle and came out unscathed. The British suffered the maximum defeat in this war.

The Afghan church started as a small chapel lying around a kilometre to the south of what was then called the Sick Bungalow. Today it is the Indian Naval Hospital and is called the INHS Asvini. It is said that the patrons had to bring it up on their own. Then the government alloted a new plot of land and decided to set up a church here, but there was a condition that the spire should be visible from a long distance and thus be the landmark for all the ships coming from the harbour.

In the year 1843, the Oxford Society for Promoting the Study of Gothic Architecture got a request for designing a new church. The request was made by the Chaplain and he made it to the East India Company. Then John Macduff Derick who was an architect from England presented the model to the Society sometime in the month of Nov ember in the year 1843 and then the Society approved it. In the year 1845 however it was said that the designs were not fit and the building would be very expensive. So the English Gothic Revival architecture of the Afghan Church was then submitted in the year 1847 and it was Henry Conybeare who gave got it approved. Then William Butterfield redesigned the entire design and the Afghan War Memorial Mosaics came into being and the screen, pews and the tiles were also reviewed. The total church was consecrated in the year 1858 and it was Bishop Harding who did this. At a cost of Rs. 5, 65000 the spire was built and it got over in the year 1865. It was Sir Cowasji Jehangir who gave a lot of contribution towards the construction and he also got an illuminated clock in the tower here.

With the buff coloured limestone and basalt available the entire edifice was built and the insides were very widely known for the beautiful arches built on gothic kind and also for the magnificent glass windows which formed the mainstay of construction here. The chapel has an aisle and also a nave with a chancel with is around 50 feet in total length and around 27 m in width. The western and the eastern windows were completely the brainchild of William Wailes who was a great stain glass expert. The stain glass used here is of a greater quality than the ones found in the Victoria Terminus and Rajabai tower constructions. There are eight large bells in the bell tower and these come from the bell foundry in the country of England and were brought in the year 1904. It is said that they are the best in the western part of India with a spire and a tower as tall as around 198 feet.

There is a stone inscription and a brass panel here and then Afghan Church today stands tall in the list of tours in Mumbai.

The Catholic Cathedral of Our lady of the Angels is one such structure that is found in Los Angeles and is a structure that has attracted tourists from across the world. This is a monument that has a grand architecture and is very interesting and intriguing. This is famous amongst all the modern art structures and is famous amongst the Catholic shrines in this part of the world.

This is a structure that has come in place of the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana which was constructed sometime in the year 1876, and was severely destroyed in the earthquake that occurred here in the year 1994. There was a lot of debate on reconstructing the entire structure and after a lot of controversy the decision was taken to build the structure in a new place in the year 1996. The earlier cathedral was bought by a developer by the name of Tom Gilmore in the year 1999. He then transformed it into an arts complex called Vibiana.

Then after the decision was taken to build the cathedral in a new site, it was also told by the Cardinal Roger Mahony that the monument would be named as the Cathedra of Our Lady of Angels. This was a title that the Pope had approved in the year 1945 when the plans for reconstructing the ST. Vibiana’s were on. The title is very indicative of the original name that Los Angeles had when it was founded in the year 1781. Los Angeles was called the EL Pueblo de Nuestra Senora, REina de Los Angeles. So the cathedral came to be known as the City of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels. In fact September 4 is her feast day and is celebrated every year.

The present location was owned by the entire city and was used as a parking space till the Diocese bought it in the year 1996 for around 10. 85 million dollars. The initial budget was for constructing a new cathedral was accounted for around 150 million dollars and there were lot of donations made to this effect for a final estimated cost of around 189.7 million dollars.

There were Ground Blessing Ceremonies that took place before the Consruction began and in the year 1997, the historical monument began to be built. There was a formal blessing that was held and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels had the formal blessing and dedication in the year 2002 in September.

The complex has a large courtyard with a lovely shrine, café and also a parking lot. It spans an area of around 58,000 square feet. The cathedral is around 333 feet long and is around a foot longer than the St. Patrick’s cathedral in the city of New York. It rises to a height of around 80 feet at the western end to around 100 feet at the eastern end . There is a tall bell tower here and this is separate from the main building of the cathedral as per the Italian tradition.

With a very impressive façade this is a building that has very less right angles and has the latest building designs protecting it from earthquakes and other such disasters. Designed by Rafaell Moneo, this is a lovely example of absolutely brilliant architectural elegance. The interiors of the cathedral have lovely illumination and the Spanish alabaster high windows provide greatly pleasurable sights to the tourist. The entrance takes  you to a large ambulatory and there is a slight incline as the entire way leads to a light filled altar.

There is a statue of the Virgin Mary made of bronze that is located at the entrance and she is depicted with bare arms, no veil and has her arms outstretched as if to welcome every tourist coming here.

The Cathedral of Our lady of the Angels thus is a magnificent structure and a feast for the eyes.

Buddhism here in Cambodia goes back to the time of King Rudravarman who ruled here sometime in the 5thcentury. He was the king of the Funan dynasty .Funan was the first state which represented the Cambodian state. It is said that King Rudravarman is said that to have claimed that his ancestors had a long hair relic of Lord Buddha which they worship. During the time of the 5thand 6th century there was two languages that developed in the region of Funan. These were the Sanskrit and Tehervada and there was yet another language which developed in the 7th century and that was the Pali language.

The Mahayana form of Buddhism got established here during the time Jayavarman VII ruled the Angkor Empire. Jayavarman was a great follower of Buddhism and believed totally in the Buddhist way of life. There are records which show that there were around 798 temples here as also some 102 hospitals during the time Jayavarman ruled here. Most of them got support from King Jayavarman thus making him a great and successful king. Thus King Jayavarman got the title of Mahaparamsaugata after he died.

When King Jayavarman passed away, Mahayana Buddhism was not very popular and then is when the Thervada Buddhism came up. Then the French influence took over sometime in the 19th and the 20th century. This caused a major setback for the growth of Buddhism here. But once Cambodia got liberated Buddhism came back into prominence and became famous.

Thus while on Cambodian travels, there is a lot of Thervada Buddhism influence that is seen here. Cambodia thus permits Thervada monks to thrive here and so we have countries like Laos, Thailand, Burma and also Sri Lanka, to intermingle with the Thervada Buddhist monks coming from here.

Thus Buddhism in Cambodia started getting popular on a national basis as per the requirements of the 1943 and 1948. The clergies of Cambodia have two kinds of monastic orders. These are the Thommayut order and the Mohanikay order. The first order or the Thommayut order came to Cambodia in the year 1864. This became very popular because the royal family supported it and it thus remained in the Phnom Penh region. Then the Mohanikay order is today the larger Buddhist group which comprises of around 90% of the clergy.

Both these Buddhist orders have a hierarchical structure composed of eleven levels. Seven levels from the lower stage are called the Thanukram and the remaining four levels are called the rajagana. In the rajagana we would find around 35 monks belonging to the Mohanikay order. The Thommayut has only 21 such monks. Each monk is needed to serve for a period of around twenty years.

Wat is a spiritual centre in Cambodia which denotes a Buddhist spiritual place. A wat is normally surrounded by walls and has a residence for bonzes, a sanctuary and also a kitchen and hall. There are quarters for nuns and also a pond. The wat has a main entry point that faces east and is used only during events and ceremonies. There are no gates here and the sanctuary has an altar which has a statue of the Lord Buddha.

The sanctuary thus is used only for the bonzes. The hall is a place where there are classes for the monks, meals, and other ceremonies. There are stupas which have the ashes of the family members. These are found near the sanctuary.

Thus Cambodia has a lot of Buddhist temples and has the maximum number of Buddisht monks or Bonzes too. A visit to Cambodia would give you the pleasures of enjoying the Buddisht festivals like the Chol Chnam, the Pchun Ben, the Meak Bochea, the Chol Vossa and many others.