Classical+Southeast+Asia

The art and religion of India, in particular Buddhism, was adopted in Southeast Asia very early on. Ashoka, ruler of the Mauryan Empire (3rd century BCE), was a devote Buddhist and sent missionaries to Sri Lanka to spread the teachings of Buddhism. From Sri Lanka, Buddhism spread to Burma (modern day Myanmar) and across the rest of Southeast Asia.
 * Classical Southeast Asia**

The Sailendra Dynasty (ca. 739 to 929) practiced Mahayana Buddhism. They took advantage of their location by taxing trade that passed through their straits and used this wealth to build Buddhist monuments, the most notable being Borobudur. The name Borobudur means "monastery of the city of Buddha". Considered the one of largest Buddhist monuments in the world, the stupa is so large and heavy that it is pushing into the ground below it. It is hardly recognizable as a relation to earlier Indian stupas, which could be as simple as a mound of earth.
 * Borobudur Stupa, Java, ca.760-830, Sailendra Dynasty**

The stupa is shaped in a mandala design and meant to represent the universe in Buddhist cosmology. Complex in design and symbolism, the structure is composed of six square and three circular platforms. Taking into account the central stupa at the summit, the stupa has a total of ten levels, symbolizing the ten stages of the bodhisattva path (Gray, 2008). Additionally, the stupa is divided into three levels representing conceptual realms called dhatus. The lowest level represents Kamadhatu, or the realm of desire. Reliefs on this level depict misfortunes and consequences that accompany desire. The next level represents the realm of form, or Rupadhatu. Here, reliefs depict jataka stories (stories of the Buddha's previous lives) and scenes from the life of the Buddha. At the highest level is Arupadatu, the formless realm. There are no reliefs on this level. Instead, the viewer encounters only sculptures of various Buddhas. The temple is situated so that each side faces a cardinal direction and each Buddha displays a different hand gesture, or mudra, depending on which direction they face.

Left: Borobudur Stupa - http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/borobudur/boro_main.html Right: Detail of the Borobudur Stupa - [|http://www.egr.msu.edu/~aditjand/indo.htm]

The term pagoda means an elaborate stupa with a tower extending above a lower mound shape. Covered in solid gold and thousands of precious jewels (including a 76 carat diamond at the top), the Shwedagon Pagoda has become a symbol of national identity for Burma. According to tradition, the Shwedagon Pagoda was built during the life of the Buddha. The story goes that two travelers from Burma were in India and came across the Buddha just after he had achieved enlightenment. Being hungry after such an exhausting task, Buddha asked the travelers for something to eat. They consented and the Buddha was so happy he gave them eight hairs off of his head. The travelers took the hairs home and built a stupa over them. The entire complex is designed around the number eight. There are eight shrines having to do with both the number of hairs and days of the week.
 * Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, Burma (present day Myanmar), 11th Century**

Shwedagon Pagoda - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Shwedagon-Pano.jpg

The Khmer Kingdom justified its power by claiming control over water. During the monsoon season large quantities of water would fall on this agricultural society. The main river in the region would back up and actually flow backwards into a natural reservoir lake. The Khmer learned from this and became interested in ways of storing water for their fields. They created all sorts of moats and pools and began to see themselves as of a god-like status.
 * Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 12th Century, Khmer Kingdom**

Angkor Wat is meant to symbolize Mt. Meru, the cosmic mountain and home to the gods. It has a central shaft that descends deep into the ground. Though originally a Hindu temple dedicated the god Vishnu, the temple retained some of its Hindu elements after being converted to a Buddhist monument. The temple incorporates water to relate the work of the Khmer rulers to the gods. They wished to be associated with Vishnu, the Hindu preserver god, because they save the world from flood and drought.

Arial view of Angkor Wat - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Angkor-Wat-from-the-air.JPG

Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Photo by Manfred Werner. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Angkor_Wat_W-Seite.jpg

One of the Hindu reliefs at the Angkor Wat recalls a story from the Puranas called "The Churning of the Ocean of Milk". In this story, the gods, or devas, and the asuras, demon-like gods, try to churn the ocean for the elixir of immortality. Vasuki, the Serpent king, wrapped himself around a mountain and devas and asuras pulled on his head and tail to create a churning motion. The churning, however, caused the mountain to start sinking. Vishnu prevented the mountain from sinking by transforming into the turtle Kuma and supporting the mountain on his back until the elixir was obtained.
 * The Churning of the Ocean of Milk, bas-relief from Angkor Wat**

"The Churning of the Ocean of Milk". Angkor Wat, Cambodia - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Awatoceanofmilk01.JPG

Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Photo by Manfred Werner. Retrieved on October 25, 2008, from the Wikimedia Commons website. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Angkor_Wat_W-Seite.jpg
 * Image References:**

Arial view of Angkor Wat. Retrieved on October 25, 2008, from the Wikimedia Commons website. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Angkor-Wat-from-the-air.JPG

Borobudur Stupa. Retrieved on October 24, 2008, from the Public Brodcasting Station (PBS) website. http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/borobudur/boro_main.html

"The Churning of the Ocean of Milk". Retrieved on October 27, 2008, from the Wikimedia Commons website. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Awatoceanofmilk01.JPG

Detail of the Borobudur Stupa. Retrieved on October 24, 2008, from the Michigan State University website. [|http://www.egr.msu.edu/~aditjand/indo.htm]

Shwedagon Pagoda. Retrieved on October 27, 2008, from the Wikimedia Commons website. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Shwedagon-Pano.jpg

Gray, M. (2008, August 6). //Places of Peace and Power - Borobudur Stupa, Java, Indonesia//. Retrieved October 10, 2008, from Sacred Sites website: http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/indonesia/borobudur_stupa.html
 * Text References:**