Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda Myanmar (Rangoon, Burma)

Golden Pagoda, Rangoon

Burma also called Myanmar; is often in the news for the actions of its military junta and the peoples’ struggles for democracy. But Burma is not all despotism and struggles; it is a nation with a very ancient and rich culture from as far as 4^th century BC. There are numerous monuments -some of them with great prominence- related to the Buddhism. The 98 meters tall Shwedagon Pagoda (also known as the Golden Pagoda) is undoubtedly the most famous among them. It shines like a golden peak up above the Singuttara hill; spreading its golden glitter all around Rangoon (Yangon) the capital of Burma. People of Yangon (Rangoon) wake up in the morning and see the Golden Pagoda sparkling in the early rays of the rising sun.

Not just the abode of god

Shwedagon Pagoda image courtsey: sacred-destinations.com

For the People of Burma this Pagoda is not just an abode of god but god itself; as they have no place sacred enough to deposit some of the most sacred possessions (the relics left by four former Buddhas) they have like the ‘container with eight hairs of Gautama Buddha’, the staff carried by Kakusandha, a water filter used by Konagamana and a robe (only a piece left at present) used by Kassapa. It is Gautama Buddha who established Buddhism. Kakusandha, Kassapa and Konagamana are saints later ascended to the status as follower of Gautama Buddha.

How these relics arrived?

Shwedagon Pagoda in an 1825 lithography

Myths and folklores have answers to all questions; as they have no limitations science and archaeology have. Let us rely upon the Burmese myths to understand the origin of the temple and the invaluable relic kept inside it. This temple is believed to be about two thousand five hundred years old (archaeologists opine that it has been built between 6^th and 10^th century).

The myth regarding the temple and eight sacred hairs kept in a golden container is thus; long ago two merchants (Taphuss and Bhallika) of the land of the Ramayana approached Buddha and received eight hairs from his holy body and proceeded to Burma to be enshrined it there. Knowing their sacred mission; king Ukkalapada of Burma built a temple on the Singuttara hill and helped them to install it there.

The myth has it that when the container was opened ‘there was tumult among man and spirits, rays emanated from the hairs rose up to the heaven and down to the hell, the blind could see, the deaf heard, the dumb spoke”

Rebuilding Shwedagon Pagoda

Buddha statues at the Shwedagon Pagoda

After its construction there were no maintenance works took place and the structure was in a state of disrepair. The Burmese king Binnya U of the ‘Mon’ dynasty rebuilt the pagoda to a height of 18 meters, there after there were several rebuilding exercises took place in various eras. Mon face and Shwedagon inscriptions give the list of maintenance works undertaken of which Queen Shinsawbu who preceded king Dhammazedi is of special significance.

Queen Shinzawbu

To the present status of the Shwedagon temple the cultural world should be greatly indebted to this great queen who ruled Burma from 1453 – 72. It was she who formed a terrace on the Singuthara Hill, paved its top with flag-stones and rebuilt the temple to a height of 40 meters. She assigned her hereditary slaves to the regular maintenance works of the temple. When she grew old she surrendered her crown to Dhammazedi and retired to Dagon. It is said that during her last illness her bed was arranged so as to enable her to watch the golden fane from her death-bed.

The structure

The Maha Tissada Gandha Bell at the Shwedagon Pagoda

Much of the delight of this complex rests in its complex geometry of its shape and the surrounding structures, its golden glow can mesmerize anyone with a heart. It has been estimated that about 8688 solid gold bars have been used to plate its surrounding domes and for the main stupa another 13513! With a single look at this pagoda one will agree that all the gold and efforts for its construction did not go waste!

This pagoda complex has four entrances (mouk) that lead to the platform (yin byin) made on the top of the Singuthara Hill. There is a pair of mythical lions known as ‘chinthe’ place on the gates. On the top of the steps stands the statue of Konagamana considered the second Buddha. The base of the stupa is made of bricks and covered with golden leaves. As the stupa goes upwards it gets composed of shapes of various articles in very artistically carved.

The Stupa

Shwedagon Pagoda at night

Above it is the terrace where only monks are allowed to enter, next to it is the bell shaped parts (khaung laung bon) of the stupa (the onion-shaped hood of structures), above it is the turban (baung yit), above it the inverted alms-bowl (thabeik) and above it the inverted and upright lotus petals, above it the ‘banana-bud’ and then the crown.

The crown (hti) is tipped with 5448 diamonds, 2317 rubies and its utmost tip has a diamond weighing 76 carats (15 grams)

Invasions desecrations looting and earth-quake

In its long history Shwedagon Pagoda has been rocked by a series of earth-quakes but that occurred in 1768 shook the whole Burma; had its impact on Shwedagon Pagoda also; top of its stupa was brought down by the violent quake. It was duly rebuilt by King Hsinbyushin, it is with this work the Pagoda attained the present height. One recent quake that occurred in 1970 damaged the alignment of its hti (crown).

The Portuguese under Philip Brito invaded Burma in 1608; the Shwedagon was their prime target they plundered of everything they could take; perhaps a bit more than what they could chew! The Gigantic bell (donated to the temple by king Dhammazed) too heavy; while trying to cross the river with it their boat the bell slipped and sunk in to the river and got lost.

The British who occupied the pagoda after the Anglo-Burma war in 1824 used the sacred Pagoda as a fortress! And when they vacated the complex all portables were lost and many damages done to the complex; but fortunately the stupa was intact. It was the 25 ton ‘maha gandha’ bell the British took, but the fate was that this bell also got sunk in the river!

One stage to clamor

Shwedagon Pagoda is the central stage of all activities in Burma, any demonstration that has to be noted by the whole nation; has to be conducted here; this trend has made this temple premises a stage for all sorts of demonstrations and political activities. It all began with the university students protesting against a bill gathered around the pagoda, when the government yielded to their demands and took the responsibility of free university education.

Later students, oil-field laborers and people of all hues made it a point to assemble here to demand their rights. In 1938 Aung San demanded complete freedom from here; later in 1988 his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi demanded the same from here. Those who clamor for more and more favors from government also use this arena in wanton greed forgetting the sanctity of this sacred site.

Untapped potential

The Karaweik is a famous icon along Kandawgyi Lake's shores.

At present Shwedagon Pagoda is more a pilgrim center than a tourist spot, Buddhists all over Burma visit this spot and perform the rituals associated with it. This beautiful and historic Pagoda lying on the western side of the famous lake by name Lake Kandawgyi has immense potential. This lake an artificial one made by the British to supply water to Rangoon is about 8 km in circumference and a very shallow one with lush vegetation on its banks. A ship shaped restaurant (Karaweik) built to cater the needs of the tourists.

Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel and its Twin Temple

The gem of Nubian Monuments

Egypt; no doubt has the richest collection archaeological monuments, the first and the foremost being the colossal Pyramids other objects go without adequate attention; this twin temple of Ramesses the Pharaoh Emperor and Nefertari is one such. The twin rock temple is also famous for historical relocation from its former position between two rock cliffs and the river (under threat of submergence); to the present site which involved tremendous efforts, technology and resources, a relocation of such a massive structure was so far unheard of in history.

It is a part of the Nubian Monuments a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. The Great Temple Belong to Pharaoh Ramesses 2 and the other one located about 100 meters away from the Great Temple is that of Hathor (an Egyptian Goddess) and Nefertari.

Ramesses the indefatigable

Ramesses II Colossus at Abu Simbel Temple Egypt.

The story behind the construction of such a marvelous rock temple runs like this; Ramesses-2 was the most powerful emperor (1279 -1213 BC) of all the Pharaohs. The neighboring King Hittites of Muwatalli thought of containing Ramesses which resulted in the Kadesh war, one of the bloodiest in the history of the world. It is said that about 5000 chariots were mobilized by Ramesses –a record never broken by anybody so far. Hittites was defeated and fame of Ramesses rose like wild fire. This twin temple was built as a memorial of Kadesh War, as well as to impress and intimidate the other kings of that area.

Twin temple

Tomb wall depicting Nefertari, the great royal wife of pharaoh Ramesses II.

The temple of Ramesses is known as ‘Great Temple’ and the other one at about hundred meters away is the temple of Hathor and Nefertari. It is the second temple dedicated to a woman (a rarity in Egypt), the first one of this trait was that of Akhenaten which was dedicated to Queen Nefertiti. The work of the temple started on 1284 BC and it took 20 years to complete, Ramesses in his long reign constructed six temples in the Nubia region all carved on rock, this twin temple known as ‘Temple of Ramesses beloved by Amun’ (Amun or Amen is an Egyptian deity that rose in to prominence during Ramesses period and later got forgotten) is the most remarkable among them.

The Great Temple

This Great Temple which took twenty years to be built is undoubtedly the grandest structure of ancient Egypt. Its facade –cut in standing rocks- represents the front of a pylon; on its front stands four gigantic statues of Ramesses which are 67 feet high! The facade is 100 feet in height and 119 feet in width. There are statues of 22 baboons at the top of the pylon over the cornice. The baboon statues are made as if they are stretching their hands towards rising sun. The forecourt of the temple contained two tanks for storing water for ablutions of the priests.

Sacred Monkeys!

The Egyptian mythology has it that the ‘Sun God Ra’ was engaged in a bitter war with the God of Darkness; and the baboons strongly stood by Sun God Ra thereby enabling his victory over darkness. This has striking similarity to Indian myths where also monkeys lent helping hands to Lord Ram (please see the similarity in names ‘Ra’ and ‘Ram’) in building bridge across the strait and defeating the Demon Ravana; in his efforts to save Sita (his wife); kidnapped by Demon.

Ramesses deified

As in most of the Egyptian temples this one also has a triangular shape with a wider entrance and narrower sanctuary. This temple has some extra features like side chambers consisting of rooms and halls all made of carving rock. There is a hypostyle hall (18 * 17 meters) which is supported by eight huge Osirid pillars in two rows, with images of deified Ramesses (human beings raised to the status of deities) interacting with Osiris the god of the netherworld. This has been believed to be done to impress the viewers that Ramesses had contacts with Demons and Gods.

Statues

Ramesses II Temple at Abu Simbel.

Four colossal statues of Ramesses with double crowns stand there to amaze the spectators all carved in the rock that was standing on the original site. Next to the structure of Colossi (giant statue at least double the size of human size) are comparatively smaller statues of Nefertari (foremost wife of Ramesses) the queen mother (Mut Tuy), his first two sons, and first six of his daughters all these are having heights less than that of the knee of the statue of Ramesses.

King Ramesses on the warfront riding chariot and shooting arrows at the fleeing enemies is perhaps the most popular motif. Egypt’s victory over Nubia and Libya are also pictured in other motifs. Beneath the giant statues there are small figures of bound captives. One of the very large statues got damaged in an earth-quake has been left as such as its head was missing.

A marriage of convenience

Both sides of the entrance are crowned with bas-relief (3-d images sculpted on wall or pillars), on the left side the king is pictured as worshiping a falcon-headed god (Ra Harkhti) standing in a niche on the wall. This Ra Harkhti god has on one hand a hieroglyph (hieroglyph is figures representing words in ancient scripts) user on his right hand and Goddess Ma’at (goddess of truth). Another beautiful motif is that pictures the marriage between Ramesses with the daughter of king Hattusili (It is said that this marriage was arranged on convenience to end territorial dispute existed between the two nations!)

The smaller temple

Egyptian Goddess Hathor

Wearing the hieroglyph for 'west' on her head, Hathor is identified as the mistress of the west, the land of the deceased.

This temple is dedicated to the Egyptian Goddess Hathor (a goddess representing heavenly cow, it is also considered as personification of the Milky Way, worshipping cow exists in Indian culture also). The main significance of this temple is that here the king is wearing a whit crown flanked by Nefertari his consort whose statue is as large as that of the king, both about 10 meters in height. Generally in ancient Egyptian architecture the statue of the king is far larger than any other statues.

Rediscovery or Robbery

Took away all he could but made a village boy famous!

The existence of these wonderful temples was first brought to the attention of the world by Mr. J L Burckhardt a Swiss orientalist in 1813. Mr. Burckhardt being at the fag end of the visit he brought it in to the notice of an Italian explorer by name Giovanni Belzoni.

What Mr. Belzoni saw was only the facade (frieze) of the temples and all other structures covered by the desert sand. He later came with all tools and entered in to the temple removing sand, that man went away with all that could take but gave a name to the site ‘Abu Simbel’ after the name of a boy who first led them to the site.

Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser

Map of Abu Simbel Temple

The construction of the Aswan dam blocking the River Nile was Egypt’s most ambitious projects, its president Abdul Nasser made it possible in 1960 with Russian help. This gigantic dam is 3830 meters long, 980 meters wide at the base (top 40 meters) and 111 meters tall. It required 43 million cubic meters of materials; 18 times the materials used for the construction for the Pyramid of Giza!

The Lake Nasser formed by the swelling of the River Nile due to Aswan Dam was 550 km long and 35 km broad (at the broadest part). The idea of the 3000 year old monuments getting submerged in water was great concern and on the initiative of the UNESCO the temple was cut in parts and in a Herculean feat got replaced on the slope of an artificial mountain! The present location is about 200 feet above its original place.

The relocation

The cutting of the existing temple in to blocks and transporting them to the new sites about 65 meters above the existing site and about 200 meters from the river, then assembling them on the side of an artificial mountain specially made for this purpose all were quite unique a work. It was a challenge to archaeologists, engineers and every one involved in the mega project. UNESCO was there with a fund raising spree, about 40 million dollars were spent and the work has been done joining the blocks almost seamlessly.

Approaching near to the Grecian style

In Burckhardt who was an Egyptologist could find only the facade of the temple other parts being covered by desert sand. Yet he was astonished by his discovery and remarked; in his own words “It was the most expressive, youthful, countenance approaching nearer to the Grecian model of beauty than that of any ancient Egyptian figure I have seen”

Abu Simbel now

statue of Ramesses II, wearing the double crown of Lower and Upper Egypt.

Abu Simbel is a hot spot attracting tourists from all over the world Guarded convoys operate twice a day from Aswan –the nearest city. The city of Aswan has an air-port which mainly caters the travel needs of tourists to this location. Here visitors watch with awe the numerous statues, bas reliefs, and the huge structures that were carved in rock etc. The story of relocation of these huge structure make them filled with wonder, if the temple is an ancient wonder, the work of its relocation was some thing more surprising than the wonder itself!

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The Acropolis of Athens (450 - 330 B.C.) Athens, Greece

There are many acropoleis in the world. Rome, Jerusalem, Athens, Thebes, Corinth etc all have acropoleis, but the word if plainly used; means the Acropolis of Athens; because it is that much associated to decisive historical events that shaped the destiny of Europe.

Alhambra (12th century) Granada, Spain

Not even an inch is spared from artworks, arches were made only for aesthetics, walls covered with expensive and enchanting ceramics and ornate plasters, coverings made of wooden frames carved so beautifully. As in the case of typical Muslim palaces walls are adorned of calligraphy depicting poems.

Angkor (12th century) Cambodia

Once there was a culture based on Hindu mythologies that spanned from Afghanistan in the west and up to the Indonesian Peninsula in the east. The real name of this temple or the town hosted it is not known (Angkor derived from Nokor the corrupt form of the word Nagar in Sanskrit meaning city)

The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The Chichen Itza monuments are the creation of the Maya Civilization that existed in this are during 600 AD. The whole monuments are located in the northern center of the Yucatan Peninsula and managed by National Institute of Anthropology and History Mexico (INAH)

Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

One wonder overlooking another world wonder is rarity in itself; it is the place where the ‘Carnival’ is held when people simply live in sheer abandon in the spirit of festival for a whole season, forgetting everything except merry making!

The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy

It was Vespacin the Roman Emperor who constructed this elliptical (with perfect oval shape) theatre. Titus Flavius Vespacianus, (69-79) was the founder of the Flavian dynasty the theatre is named as Flavian Amphitheatre after his family name.

Statues of Easter Island (10th - 16th Century) Easter Island, Chile

From where did these inhabitants come why did they built so many gigantic statues (these statues are known as Moais), how did those people bring these stones to this remote island, what technology they used for the transportation?

The Eiffel Tower (1887 - 89) Paris, France

Gustav Eiffel was a dejected man when his design was rejected by the committee and there were few buyers for his work on which he had poured out his heart. Most scoffed it off as ugly and lacking aesthetics!

The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China

The idea of this great wall arose when Ming Emperor was defeated by the Mongols in the war of Tumu in 1449. By that time construction methods improved and instead of rammed earth used by previous emperors Ming used bricks and stone. Enemies of all sorts were kept at bay and Ming was able to rule his land in peace for a considerable period of time!

The Hagia Sophia (532 - 537 A.D.) Istanbul, Turkey

In Istanbul Turkey there stands the most beautiful building the ‘Aya Sofya’ with many old names by which it was known and many old roles it had made to play in the centuries that passed after its construction. It in its course has been burned down to ashes, crumbled down in earth quakes and got vandalized by rioters but each time it literally rose from its ashes to be the most beautiful human construction ever happened.

Kiyomizu Temple (749 - 1855) Kyoto, Japan

This temple of Kiyomizu belonged to the Hosso-Sect of the Buddhist religion founded by a Chinese monk by name Doshi, This sect was a comparatively small one in number of followers but one of the oldest Buddhist sects in Japan.

The Kremlin and Red Square (1156 - 1850) Moscow, Russia

From the beginning of the 12^th century Kremlin has been the nerve center of Russia, with a brief spell when Peter the Great shifted his capital to Peter’s burg alone Kremlin was deprived of that status. When Russia emerged as the capital of world’s communism, Kremlin had the role of managing that ideology world wide!

Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru

As these works are done on mountain slopes and more than hundred steps to connect them; all cut in stone. Remnants of fountains used to irrigate garden-plants, and vents for the disposal of waste and storm-water; all made of stones!

Neuschwanstein Castle (1869 -1884) Schwangau, Germany

King Ludwig 2 (who was crowned at the age of 19) a fan of Richard Wagner built this hill palace as a tribute to his favorite artist Richard Wagner (1813 -1883, the world famous German composer known for his operas but Ludwig had not actually seen his performance). Seven weeks after the death of Ludwig 2 the palace was left open to the public.

Petra (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Jordan

Petra City was capital of the Nabataeans; a tribe engaged in trading and lived in Jordan and southern part of Arabia. These Nabataeans were pre Islamic tribes and were experts in trade as well as water supply-techniques. They were smart enough to create a perennial stream of water for the use of this city located in the arid desert.

The Pyramids of Giza (2600 - 2500 B.C), Egypt

If these pyramids are monuments for the dead royal family members where these royal families lived (their palaces must be far grander than their dead member’s cove) but there is not even a trace of those palaces left.

The Statue of Liberty (1886) New York City, U.S.A.

This colossal statue is situated in the Liberty Island (14.71 acre islet in the New York port (this uninhabited islet was formerly known as Bedloe’s Island) in the mouth of River Hudson accessible only by ferry service. Those who take a ticket to the ferry can roam in the island to pass time without any fee.

Stonehenge (3000 B.C. - 1600 B.C.) Amesbury, United Kingdom

It is believed that these formations pertain to about 3000 BC involving massive human labor not less than 30 million man-hours. It is also found that the work was completed in three phases with more than one interruption in between. One of the stoppages took more than 1000 years.

Sydney Opera House (1954 - 73) Sydney, Australia

The entire complex looks like a gigantic house-boat floating in the sea spreading its masts. The design is so unique that the structure can be distinguished from any distance as there is something similar to it found nowhere else in the world.

The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India

The Taj is an architectural marvel formed of the fusion between Indian, Persian, Turkish and the Islamic styles. Its construction started on 1632 took 16 long years when it was finally completed in 1648!

Timbuktu (12th century) Mali

Timbuktu; the ‘center of significant written culture of Africa’ is -located in Tombouctau District, Mali- was a torch spreading light all around; it was at a time when rest of the world groped amidst the gloom that encircled.

About The Kerala Articles

About The Kerala Articles

Welcome to The Kerala Articles - a Travel Blog that helps travellers and those who are interested in travel to discover locations that are certain to inspire.

My name is Sinu S Kumar and I’m a full time Webmaster and Blogger who is making a living from online mediums the likes of Websites and Blogs.

A Hobby that turned to a Profession

I am passionate about Music, Travelling and Photography. My acquaintance with the internet started in the year 1995 when I was about to complete my Graduation in Commerce. Back then I used it only as a medium to send and receive mails. But when I started my M.B.A program I started using the net to find information on various topics. It never failed to fascinate me. So I decided to give it a try when I first got my hands on Macromedia’s Dreamweaver 3.0. Never knew it was not much complicated and was much more fun.

I stared my first free website hosted in geocities and as I gradually learned the tricks of the trade slowly moved to self hosted domains. I never took up any assignments for designing and developing websites for others but rather identified my interests and started my own sites on those topics.

A few of my websites which I still maintain

Naturemagics, Nehrutrophyboatrace, Orchids, Hamradio

My websites gradually grew in popularity and began generating enough income so as to enable me to quit my job as a Regional Sales Specialist with a reputed Medical Devices company and thus devote more of my time to my online ventures.

The blog The Kerala Articles was started in December 2006. Initially apart from Me and My Father Mr Sasi Kumar we had a number of guest writers who were contributing articles on their respective fields of speciality. But later on I decided to get the blog focused on a singular topic that is Travel.

Why Kerala Articles?

This site is dedicated to helping people know various travel destinations from around the world. We are not biased to any locale or any country in our reviews. Instead of just listing travel tips or links what we do is to present the destination in a lucid language along with pictures which will be much more engaging to the readers. We include a little bit of history, specialities and other stuff that may be of interest to the travellers to inspire them to actually make the trip.

If you would like more information on The Kerala Articles please feel free to get in touch with me at : sinusk [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Easter Island Statues

The Easter Island and its Statues, Isle de Pascua

Easter Island Statue Moai with replica eyes at Ahu Ko Te Riku in Hanga Roa

Weird, mysterious and isolated

There are many places on earth with some sort of fascinations, but Easter Island is not just fascinating but it is undoubtedly the most intriguing place in the World. This little island dotted with gigantic and weird looking human statues; is in the Oceania (the groups of islands around Australia) in the South Pacific Ocean. The Easter Island is the most isolated place with human inhabitation as the nearest inhabited places are (Tahiti or Chile) at least two thousand miles away!

Rapa Nui and Rapanui

From where did these inhabitants come why did they built so many gigantic statues (these statues are known as Moais), how did those people bring these stones to this remote island, what technology they used for the transportation? More over why have they toiled to make such gigantic statues? These are questions that intrigue visitors as well as those are interested archaeology. In 1722 one sailor by name Admiral Reggeveen landed on this island that was an Easter day; hence he named that island Easter Island. The local people call this island Rapa Nui and (Isle de Pascua in Portuguese). Rapanui has become a common word for everything related to this island, its language as well as its natives.

Special territory

Easter Island Statues Ahu Akivi, one of the few inland Ahu with the only moai facing the ocean

The capital of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is Hanga Roa and this island is a special territory under Chile. The islanders in general are not concerned about Chile’s claim and go on living as per their customs and preserving there own identity. Spanish and Repanui are the official languages. Its population (about 3000) consists entirely of Rapanui and Chilean. Easter Island is a World Heritage Site and most of the island is covered and protected as the Repanui National Park.

Moais (the statues)

Easter Island Statues

Had there been no moais; the Easter Island would have remained as one among the thousands of remote islands in the Pacific Ocean and no one would have wasted time thinking about it. There are about 887 of them as per the inventories. These statues are not identical; they vary in their size and shape. These statues are made of carving hard stone; their heads are overly large (about three fifth of the total size). Moais are images of human torso with heads (some of them are dug deep in sand and only heads are visible). These moais are believed to be images of the ancestors (probable deified) of the islanders; may be a sign of ancestor worship).

Coral eye and scoria pupil

As per Sonia Haoa and archaeologist these statues were made with eye sockets capable to hold white corals as eyes with scoria (a volcanic stone with shining black color) as its pupil, she has demonstrated the statement by collecting the fragments of corals and scoria retrieved around the statues and reconstructing it to its original shapes.

The tallest and he heaviest

Easter Island Statues

The tallest moai (known as Paro) is 10 meters (33 feet) in height and weigh 75 tons, where as the heaviest is 86 tons in weight; it is placed on a platform by name Ahu Tongariki. There is one unfinished moai; which if completed would have been the tallest and the heaviest (21 meter in height and 240 tons in weight!) Most of the moais are found in Ranu Roraku the moai quarry; recently hundreds of them have been transported to set them on the ahus (the platform for placing moais). The moais were originally placed on ahus with their back facing the sea.

A baby boom and after !

The Easter Island is often quoted as an example of the consequences of uncontrolled population explosion. This island was initially discovered and inhabited by Polynesians. In the initial times settlers were few in number and life was comfortable. Their number increased rapidly and all the available land had to be converted in to farmlands. When human beings multiplied like rats land became insufficient to feed the increasing numbers. This ‘population explosion’ led to starvation and wide spread riots. Easter Island’s geographical isolation made migration to less populated places impossible.

Scapegoats of a tragedy !

People who were dying of hunger turned to cannibalism; they started killing and eating their neighbors! Their frustration later turned against the moais which were standing there as if they were mere spectators of these horrible scenes. The moais were dragged by the violent mob and got dumped in to a waste land. These statues were there for centuries until recently and they were reinstalled in proper places by the joint initiative of UNESCO and the government.

A nostalgic past

In 1950 Heyer Dahl the famous Norwegian explorer (his work the ‘Kon tiki Expedition’ was a classic) happened to visit made the existence such an isolated island popular, this aroused curiosity among sailors. His theory about the original inhabitants has been proved wrong and it has been established that the people were of Polynesian stocks. As per the latest opinions it must be a set of less than 100 people probably lost their way on the sea and happened to land and stay here. The lush forests with small animals, flightless birds, and rich fish of the sea shore were more than what they bargained for!

Life as a dream!

If what the archaeologists say are true this island’ original culture was enough create jealousy among the modern men, the isolation to which these people were subjected worked in forming an exclusive lifestyle for its inhabitants. Enough food and leisure aroused in them hidden creative talents; for which they toiled and suffered to bring huge stones from nearby sea-rocks, cut huge trees barked them for artworks every thing they could lay hands on; stones, wood, barks of trees, their own body skin, virtually every where they could work turned out to be their canvass. Dance and music was their favorite time pass.

Survived to tell their story

Life for them was devotion and they went on giving birth to beautiful art works from birth to death! They made it every where; they tattooed their own body with fine arts. But alas bark of wood, body skin every thing perished by the passing of time but these hard stones out of which they made these immortal statues alone survived the test of time! They survived the time of cannibalism; and stand tall declaring the greatness of their creators!

How to get there ?

Easter Island Map

There are regular flights from Santiago to Mataveri airport, with less than one thousand dollars one can reach there and fly back in style. Rapa Nui people who operate small hotels come and invite tourists for stay and sight seeing, these people are one of the friendliest in the world and their words can be trusted. The advantage is not only in saving money it is a chance to understand the local life and people.

Brilliant landscapes and Tapati

The natives are a jolly lot and their most important festival is the Tapati Festival which is celebrated during January and February. The festival of 2008 is nearing and a visit during this time is real joy! Easter Island’s landscapes are really amazing with volcanic craters, clean beaches, and famous archeological sites. Pay a visit to the remotest inhabited land in the world and experience the hospitality of a far away people, see the moais as much as you can all for just one thousand bucks!