Friday 30 November 2012

The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries



The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

Monasteries are usually located in remote places far from the hustle
and bustle of cities and towns. It takes more than a mild determination
to reach them, but some of these are deliberately almost inaccessible.
The idea was to keep all but only the most dedicated followers from
reaching these holy sites; while in the midst of peace and solitude,
they also make the monks feel like they are closer to God and Nature.

Today, however, most of these monasteries have become tourist
attractions. And in favour of the tourists, several accessible methods
like ropeways and stairs have been added. They still look stunning
as they still require hundreds of metres of vertical trekking.

Monasteries of Meteora, Greece



The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

The Metéora — Greek for “suspended in the air", "in the heavens
above" — is a group of six monasteries and one of the largest and
most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece.
The six monasteries, built on natural sandstone rock pillars, are one of
the most powerful examples of the architectural transformation of a site
into a place of retreat, meditation, and prayer.

The monasteries are built on rock pinnacles of deltaic origin, known as
Meteora, which rise starkly over 400 m above the Peneas valley and
the small town of Kalambaka on the Thessalian plain. During the
fearsome time of political instability in 14th Century the monasteries
were systematically built on top of the inaccessible peaks so that by
the end of the 15th Century there were 24 of them. They continued
to flourish until the 17th century. Today, only four monasteries
— Aghios Stephanos, Aghia Trias, Varlaam and Meteoron —
still house religious communities.

The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

Access to the monasteries was originally and deliberately difficult,
requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to
haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith
— the ropes were replaced, so the story goes, only "when the Lord
let them break". In the 1920s there was an improvement in the
arrangements. Steps were cut into the rock, making the complex
accessible via a bridge from the nearby plateau.

The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul\

Taung Kalat Monastery, Burma


The monastery of Taung Kalat is located on a top of a volcanic
plug that rises 737 metres from the surrounding in central Burma
(Myanmar) about 50 km Southeast of Bagan, and near the extinct
volcano Mount Popa. The monastery can be accessed by exactly
777 steps and those who reach the top are rewarded by a spectacular
view.
 
The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

To the Northwest opens a view to distant temples of Bagan, and to the East is
towering the forested Taung Ma-gyi summit. There is a big caldera, 610
metres wide and 914 metres in depth so that from different directions the
mountain takes different forms with more than one peak. Many Macaque
monkeys live here that have become a tourist attraction on Taung
Kalat. 


The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul\


Taktsang Palphug Monastery, Bhutan



The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul


Taktshang monastery, also known as The Tiger's Nest, is located on a
precipitous cliff about 900 metres above the Paro valley, in Bhutan. The
rock slopes are extremely steep — almost vertical — and the monastery
buildings are built into the rock face. The scenic monastery complex has
access from several directions, such as the northwest path through the
forest, from the south along the path used by devotees, and from the north.
A mule track leading to it passes through pine forest that is colourfully
festooned with moss and prayer flags. On many days, clouds shroud the
monastery, giving it an eerie feeling of remoteness.



  The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul


Sümela Monastery

The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

The Sumela Monastery is built into the rock cliffs of the Altmdere Valley
in Turkey. At an altitude of about 1,200 metres it is a major tourist
attraction of Altındere National Park.

The monastery was founded in 386 AD during the reign of the Emperor
Theodosius I (375 - 395). Legend has it that two priests undertook its
creation after discovering a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave
on the mountain. During its long history, the monastery fell into ruin
several times and was restored by various emperors. It reached its
present form in the 13th century after gaining prominence during the
reign of Alexios III.


The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

The monastery was abandoned after World War I and the start of the
population exchanges between Greece and Turkey that forced some
2 million ethnic Greeks and Turks to leave their long-established
communities in Turkey or Greece and return to their ethnic homelands.
It lay empty for decades before being partially restored and returned to
life as a museum. 

The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

Hanging Monastery, China


The Hanging Monastery or Hanging Temple is located in a canyon at the foot
of the Mountain Heng in the province of Shanxi, China. The temple is built into
the cliff side about 75 meter above the ground, and stands propped up by
hidden rocks corridor and wooden beams inserted into the mountain. Over
40 halls, cabinets and pavilions within an area of 152.5 square meters
are connected each other by corridors, bridges and boardwalks.


The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

They are evenly distributed and well balanced in height. Inside the temple are
more than 80 bronze cast statues, iron cast statues, and clay sculptured statues
and stone carvings banded down from different dynasties. The temple was build
to avoid the terrible flood, and use the mountain as protection from rain, snow
and sunshine. Today, it is one of the main tourist attractions and historical sites
in the Datong area.


The World’s Inaccessible Monasteries by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul



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