End of a Pilgrim's Trail

Baalbek

Archaeological Sites in Lebanon

In the hills of Lebanon stands the temple complex of Baalbek, one of the most enigmatic holy places of ancient times. According to orthodox archaeological theory, the story of Baalbek goes back approximately 5000 years. Excavations around the Roman Temple of Jupiter have uncovered remains dating to the Early Bronze Age (2900-2300 BC). During the 1st millennium BC, the Phoenicians chose the site of Baalbek for a temple to their Sun-god Baal and legends tell that Baalbek was the birthplace of Baal. Next came the Seleucid and Roman Empires and it is to the Romans (64 BC – 312 AD) that archaeologists attribute the many and massive temple foundations of Baalbek.

The Roman city at Baalbek, called Heliopolis or the City of the Sun and dedicated to the sun god Jupiter, does contain the largest stone structures ever built in the Roman Empire. The Romans, however, did not have the engineering or construction skills necessary for the carving and placement of the enormous blocks of stone which underlie their own constructions. The courtyard of the Jupiter temple, completed around 60 AD, is situated upon a platform, called the Grand Terrace, which consists of a pre-Roman outer wall formed of immense, finely crafted and precisely positioned blocks. These blocks of stone, ranging in weight from 450 tons to 1200 tons, are the largest pieces of stonework ever crafted in the world. Why these stones, as large as 69 feet long by 14 feet wide, are such an enigma to contemporary scientists is that their method of quarrying, transportation and placement is beyond the technological ability of any known ancient or modern builders. These great blocks of stone show extensive evidence of wind and sand erosion that is absent from the Roman temples, indicating their construction dates from a far earlier age. Finally, the stones of Baalbek show stylistic similarities to other cyclopean stone walls at verifiably pre-Roman sites such as the Acropolis foundation in Athens, the foundations of Myceneae, and the megalithic constructions of Ollyantaytambo in Peru and Tiahuanaco in Bolivia.

Review by Martin Gray

Photo by flickr user upyernoz

Borobudur

Sacred Places in Magelang, Indonesia

Sometime before the 5th century AD Hinduism and Buddhism spread from Southeast Asia to the islands of the Indonesian archipelago. The first stone temples, Hindu shrines of the 8th century, are found on the Dieng plateau of Java. The greatest concentration of Javanese sacred architecture however, lies near the city of Yogyakarta. Here stand the Hindu temple complex of Prambanam and the Hindu/Buddhist temple of Borobudur.

Borobudur is commonly considered a Buddhist structure, yet its first and second terraces were Hindu constructions begun in 775 AD. From 790 to 835 AD, the Buddhist Sailendra dynasty completed the great stupa. Soon thereafter, the Hindu Sanjaya dynasty took over the Buddhist monuments of the Sailendra. Although the Sanjaya were Hindu, they ruled over a Buddhist majority and Borobudur remained a Buddhist site. During the 10th and 11th centuries the great stupa fell into decline and lay forgotten, buried under volcanic ash and jungle growth. Europeans cleared the site in 1815, the Dutch began its restoration in the early 1900’s, and a US project begun in 1973 completed the work.

Borobudur is a massive, symmetrical monument, 200 square meters in size, sitting upon a low hill. The stupa represents a Buddhist cosmological model of the universe organized around the axis of mythical Mt. Meru. Beginning at the eastern gateway, pilgrims circumambulate the stupa in a clockwise direction. Walking through five kilometers of open air corridors while ascending six square terraces and three circular ones, the pilgrim symbolically spirals upward from the everyday world to the Nirvanic state of absolute nothingness. The first six terraces are decorated with panels showing Buddhist doctrines and a panorama of 9th century Javanese life. Upon the upper three terraces are 72 smaller stupas, each of which once contained a statue of the Buddha. Crowning the entire structure is a great central stupa. Representing Nirvana, it is empty.

Review by Martin Gray

Photo by Photography: Martin Gray

Teotihuacan

Archaeological Sites in Mexico City, Mexico

Near to Mexico City stand the ruins of Teotihuacan, the largest city of Mesoamerica in Pre-Columbian times. Orthodox archaeologists are divided concerning the dating of the site, some believing it flourished from 1500 to 1000 BC, and others stating a later period of 100 BC to 700 AD. Other scholars studying the mythology and archaeology of the region suggest that Teotihuacan may be far older. One intriguing matter is that the original name of the place is unknown. Its current name Teotihuacan – the Place of the Gods - was given to it by the Aztecs after the city’s decline and abandonment. Various Mesoamericans before the Aztecs, the Mayans, Zapotecs and Toltecs, were equally mystified by the vast ruins, seeing in them shadowy traces of an even earlier people.

The most striking architectural structure of Teotihuacan is the towering Pyramid of the Sun, a man-made sacred mountain whose original name and function are unknown. From atop this pyramid, whose base is nearly equal in size to the Great Pyramid of Egypt, numerous other pyramids may be seen along the ‘Avenue of the Dead’. There are several unsolved riddles about the Pyramid of the Sun, such as that concerning the one-foot thick sheet of granulated mica which once covered its uppermost level. Removed and sold for profit in the early 1900’s, the mica had been transported from thousands of miles away in South America. How had the great quantity of mica been brought from such a distance and for what purpose had the pyramid been covered with the rare stone? One suggestion is that mica, being an efficient energy conductor, was used as part of a receiving device for long wave-length celestial radiations. The incoming celestial energy would have been collected by the pyramid, whose sacred geometrical design would focus it into the cave beneath the pyramid. This energy, available for use at any time of the year, would be specially concentrated at certain periods during solar and lunar cycles. These specific periods were determined by using astronomical observation structures which exist in different places around the geomantically aligned city of Teotihuacan.

Photo: Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan

Review by Martin Gray

Photo by Photography: Martin Gray

The Temple of Karnak

Archaeological Sites in Luxor, Egypt

Called Thebes by early European visitors, the most extensive religious complex of the Dynastic Egyptians contained the temples of Karnak and Luxor. Rather than being places for collective worship, the inner sanctums of these temples were considered to be abodes of the gods and could only be entered by temple priests and members of the nobility. The surrounding complex however, functioned as a place for pilgrimage festivals and processions associated with the various deities enshrined in the temples. Some archaeologists consider the early founding of Karnak to have been around 3200 BC yet the existing temple complex is mostly a Middle Kingdom co-creation by several different Pharaohs. The central temple at Karnak, dedicated to the state god Amon, is oriented to admit the light of the setting sun at the time of summer solstice.

Review by Martin Gray

Photo by Photography: Martin Gray

Miyajima and the Itsukushima Shrine

Sacred Places in Hiroshima, Japan

Located several miles off the coast of Hiroshima city, the holy island of Miyajima is a sacred site of both Shintoism and Buddhism, and one of the most enchantingly beautiful places on Earth. To come by early morning boat across the mist-enshrouded sea, slowly approaching the island and its sacred mountain of Misen San, is to enter a fairy tale realm. Long before Buddhism came to Japan in the 5th century AD, Shinto sages lived as hermits in the mountain’s forested hills. Today the small island of only 12 square miles is much visited by pilgrims and tourists yet still retains its extraordinary sense of serenity and magic.

Blanketed with luxuriant primeval forests, Misen San is the highest peak on Miyajima Island, rising to 1739 feet (530 meters). From its lofty summit there is a panoramic view of many other islands in the Seto Inland Sea and the distant mountain ranges of Shikoku. Near the summit are a few small temples including the Gumonjido, a temple founded in the early 9th century AD by the great sage Kobo Daishi on his return from China. A flame burning within the temple has burned consistently from the time of the temple's dedication to the present. There is an aerial cable car to the summit but it is more enjoyable to walk along one of the three paths through the forests. The Omoto path is the most beautiful and the least used; strolling here you will feel yourself transported back to the semi-mythical days of Kobo Daishi and the Shinto mountain mystics. The peaceful forests of Misen San are also home to some two thousand domesticated deer.

Miyajima’s primary temple, the Itsukushima shrine, was first constructed in 593 AD and later enlarged to its present size in 1168. One of the world’s most extraordinary examples of sacred architecture, it is listed as a National Treasure with the government of Japan. The complex of buildings includes the main shrine, several subsidiary temples, a Noh drama and dance stage, and many bridges and walkways linking the various parts of the temple. Built on tidal land and giving the appearance of floating on the sea during high tide, the shrine is dedicated to three Shinto goddesses of the sea; Ichikishima, Tagori, and Tagitsu, each of whom is believed to live within the inner sanctum of the shrine. Metal nails were not used in the construction of the buildings and there are precisely calculated crevices between the floor slabs in order to alleviate the pressure of high tidal waves caused by typhoons. Some of the ancient wooden planks used for flooring are 1.5 meters wide and over 10 meters long, and these enormous boards were laboriously transported to Miyajima from hundreds of miles away in northern Japan.

Adjacent to the Itsukushima temple is the Hokoku shrine. An inner part of this shrine, known as the Senjokaku, was constructed by the fabled Japanese warrior Hideyoshi Toyotomi for the repose of the souls of war dead. The five-storied pagoda, 27 meters tall, is believed to have been built in 1407 and represents a harmonious combination of Chinese and Japanese architectural styles. Within the pagoda, painted in full color, is a beautiful image of the Buddha.

The lovely Otorri gate, standing in the sea and leading to the Itsukushima shrine, is the symbol of Miyajima Island. The present Otorii, the eighth constructed since the Heian period (794-1192), was built in 1875 with the wood of camphor trees. It is 16 meters tall, the roof is 24 meters long, and the main pillars, made from single trees, are 10 meters in circumference. The Otorii stands on its own support, having no part buried in the ground. During the mid-July Kangensai music festival, colorfully decorated boats sail through the giant gate while dancers aboard the boats perform sacred dances. Associated with the Itsukushima shrine, and considered a part of its sacred geography, are seven smaller shrines positioned around the 19-mile circumference of the island. There are no roads to most of these shrines therefore pilgrims use small boats to approach the rocky shores where the temples are located.

Photos: Itsukushima shrine, Miyajima Island,

Otorri Gate, Miyajima Island, Japan

Pagoda, Miyajima Island, Japan

Review by Martin Gray

Photo by Photography: Martin Gray

Chichen Itza and the Temple of Kukulkan

Archaeological Sites in Mexico

The earliest archaeological remains found at Chichen Itza date from the 1st century AD yet the Yucatan peninsula had been inhabited for at least 8000 years. After their conquest of the holy city of Izamal, the seafaring Itza people settled in the 8th century at the enormous natural well known as Wuk Yabnal, meaning ‘Abundance Place’. Their city became known as Chichen Itza, which means ‘Mouth of the Well of the Itza’. From this site, the Itza Maya rapidly became the rulers of much of the Yucatan peninsula. Contrary to popular belief, the Maya were not an empire. Rather, they were a collection of autonomous city-states in frequent communication with other city-states in their region.

The Temple of Kukulkan, the Feathered Serpent God (also known as Quetzalcoatl to the Toltecs and Aztecs) is the largest and most important ceremonial structure at Chichen Itza. This ninety-foot tall pyramid was built during the 11th to 13th centuries directly upon the foundations of previous temples. The architecture of the pyramid encodes precise information regarding the Mayan calendar and is directionally oriented to mark the solstices and equinoxes. Studies by archaeoastronomers have revealed that other structures at Chichen Itza also have significant astronomical alignments, such as the Caracol observatory which indicates key positions of the planet Venus, particularly its southern and northern horizon extremes. Studying the ground plan of Chichen Itza and the spatial relationships between its primary temples, it is evident that the site was actually a mirror of star positions in the night skies - during the erection period of the temple complexes. This is an example of sacred geography, or terrestrial astrology, on a local scale. The Mayans also practiced sacred geography on a larger regional scale by the placement of their temple-cities at specific sites which were themselves also mirrors of the heavens.

Photo: Temple of Kukulkan, Chichen Itza, Yucatan

Review by Martin Gray

Photo by flickr user exfordy

Salar de Uyuni and Mt. Tunupa

Natural World in Bolivia

Covering an area of 4,680 square miles (12,121 sq km), Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat. At an elevation of 11,970 feet (3,650 meters) it is filled with an estimated 10 billion tons of salt. Contemporary maps usually name the salt flats Salar de Uyuni, for near their south-eastern border is the small town of Uyuni. Local people however, whose ancestors have lived nearby for hundreds of years, say its true name is linked not to Uyuni but to the sacred mountain of Tunupa. Rising like a mirage from the northern extremes of the Salar, the long extinct volcano of Tunupa is 17,700 feet high (5400 meters). There are no roads across the vast salt flats, only tracks left by the occasional jeeps which take travelers to view the other worldly place. In the middle of the Salar, piercing the blazing white, is the small island of Isla Inkahuasi. Also called Isla de Pescadores, its sharp crags of volcanic rock are as black as ink. The only evidence of island life are a profusion of tall, green cacti and dozens of shy rabbits with long, cartoon-like ears. Every November Salar de Uyuni is also the breeding grounds for three breeds of South American flamingos. There is something inexplicably magical about this unique place and simply by being there one experiences a state of inner peace. No effort must be made to reach this state, for the environment gives it to you.

Photos: Salar de Uyuni and Mt. Tunupa

Review by Martin Gray

Photo by Photography: Martin Gray

St. Michael's Mount

Sacred Places in West Country, United Kingdom

Located on either side of the English Channel, the medieval pilgrimage shrines of St. Michael's Mount and Mont St. Michel are famous because of supposed appearances of the archangel during the 5th century. According to different reckonings, St. Michael was said to have miraculously appeared – often times killing dragons - at 400 places in Europe during the 4th and 5th centuries. It is remarkable that paleontological excavations have revealed dinosaur bones from hundreds of millions of years ago but not one single dragon bone from only 1500 years ago. This lack of evidence for the existence of dragons seriously questions the Christian story of St. Michael. Did the archangel really appear and slay dragons, or should the myth be understood as having a metaphorical rather than literal meaning?

Many pre-Christian legends, from regions of Europe having megalithic standing stones, tell of people who 'speared a serpent' or 'captured the dragon forces’ at specific sites by the placement of a great stone into the body of the earth. Equally important is the fact that prior to the arrival of Christianity many pagan sacred sites were known as dragon's dens and serpent's lairs. The Christian story of St. Michael spearing a pagan serpent may thus be seen as a usurpation of a far older pagan myth. Throughout the world many other ancient cultures had memorialized power places and the enigmatic apparitions which occurred at them with similar legends of dragons and giant serpents.

Another fascinating matter concerning St. Michael shrines in Britain is the mysterious linking of these shrines by straight lines running for hundreds of miles across the countryside. One such line, originating at St. Michael's Mount, passes through the pre-Christian sacred sites of Glastonbury Tor and Avebury stone ring, as well as many old churches dedicated to Michael. This extraordinary fact is evidence that some lost culture had once known and mapped the energy grid of the living earth.

Review by Martin Gray

Photo by Photography: Martin Gray