Gardens In The Muslim Culture

The first time I noticed the peculiarities of the Muslim Gardens was when I saw the mosque in Mariupol. There was a little garden with fountains, pathes made probably with white marble or other white stone near it. In other place there were white peacocks too.

I remembered that beautiful little mosque when I heard about the gardens, the Mughal Empirors built in India. Yes, I continue the theme I began in these my other posts
Arches Of Triumph
Temples Of Orchha

Residences were -and are today- with great gardens. In the garden on the photo here there are over four hundred fountains!

Shalamar Garden

I think, the summer residences of the kings in Europe in 1700-1800 were inspired by these Muslim gardens in India and Persia(about 1600-1700), because they thought, the governors in India and Persia were infinitely rich.
On the photos here are Petrodvorets (Russia) and Caserta (Italy)

Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

«аллея» на Яндекс.Фотках

Now, the question is: WHY all these gardens in Mughal Empire?
Do you know the answer?
Not?
I will say it to you.
It was, for the Mughals, the representation of the Paradise, how it is described by Muslim religion (in Koran probably, but I'm not sure).

Arches Of Triumph

«Рим. Арка Септимия Севера» на Яндекс.Фотках

I'm not sure but I think, the triumphal arches come from Ancient Rom (over here). At first they were built to celebrate victories in war, later to show how rich and powerful this or that governor was.

2 photos here (Moscow and Paris) represent the great wish to be similar to Romans in all times. What is interesting, not only Europe was afflicted by this megalomania. The last photo shows the most big triumphal arch of the world that you can see if you visit Fatehpur Sikri in India. The name of this construction is Buland Darwaza, that means "great gate".


«Триумфальная арка.» на Яндекс.Фотках


«Paris 2007январь» на Яндекс.Фотках


«Вид на величайшие ворота в мире - Буланд Дарваза» на Яндекс.Фотках

Temples Of Orchha

«Храмы в Orchha» на Яндекс.Фотках

In a documentary about Empires of India there was very interesting part about the temples of one of the princely states, existed here from 1501. India was devided in many little states in that period and had to stand the occupation of the mongols.

Our imagination that the raja were very rich and had very nice life comes from that times too.

The pantheon involved great number of gods in India, and it was the only thing common for all the states. That is the reason probably of so many temples, entire towns of temples.
What is interesting, the most muslim mongols were very tollerant in confront to the religions of the population. Many famous buildings like Taj Mahal are examples of this mix of the cultures.

While in Orchha you can see a temple of Indian architecture. The Lakshmi Temple(Wikipedia).

Indian coffee

What do you know about coffee?

I knew not soo much about it.
What I knew:
there is coffee from Brazil and from Vietnam. That from Brazil is ecological and biological, that from Vietnam is not very good because with dangerous, toxic substances. And I knew all sorts of coffee I can buy in the supermarkets here.

Today I learned, there are many different coffees from different countries.
And from India too. (I wanted to write a post about India and found this information)

Indian coffees are good balanced and mild with low acidity and spicy notes. And there is a special one -the Monsooned coffee. An other interesting case is High grown coffees with high acidity.

Coffee was introduced in India from Yemen by a Muslim pilgrim Bababudan Sahib in the Chikmagalur District in 1610. 123,681 farms with 3 000 000 workers produce it today. And India is the 2 in Asia and the 8 in the world. (I did not find all lists). And harvest is in November and February.

Interesting. I wanted to taste it too. Sunday we will go in a great supermarket, maybe I'll find it there?
Source

Violations in Goa

This map and really many interesting info about Goa -the best I found


I receive not very good notices from India for 2 or 3 days. You are right, I mean tourists and travel notices. They tell about very difficult situation, particularly in Goa, for european women travelling alone. Very great % of violations. Most women (that went in police) are Brittish but there are women from different countries. The men were not only first they meet on the beach for example, but the owners of the hotels, restaurants ecc. People, you would never think they can allow themselves something like this, because they had to think about the good name of their business.

All us we know this situation. It has different sides, surely. And we can say the same not only about Goa, but about many other countries.

1/ Many modern european women live alone, and are completely independent. They feel young, beautiful and full of energy in any age. They like to caress themselves. They have money and time for travelling. Why not? If she is a woman and doesn't want anybody that sit on her neck, it's forbidden for her to travel?

2/ Men in many countries (and european men in the depth of their souls too) want and continue to live in Middle Age mentality. They understand a woman only if she is sitting in a trunk (like in that fable about Jin). Women in that countries allow it to them because are dependent and for tradition. Every woman out of the trunk is for them a woman, inviting all men to abuse of her.

These 2 ideas are the main problem.
Women from all european countries don't understand they have not to feel sure and protected.
Because they are not protected.
Maybe now, after this scandal, the government of India will do something to assure it's income of money. And it will mean that India will become the most good place for alone travelling women. For some time.

I read many meanings about this problem in the forums.
Imagin, those who visited Goa, are saying 2 completely different things: it's true, it's impossible to go out there -and it's not true, persons are the best in the world there.
Can you add yourth?

Buddhist pilgrimage at Travel Pangs

I asked Footiam the author of very interesting blogs Stepping out, Dragon Descendants, Dhamma Delights, Beautiful World, Our Impermanent world the permission to write about his piligrimage in India to the places of Buddha birth and other important for Buddhismus places.

He sent me some photos ( inedit!!! Only for my blog!!!! I'm incredibly proud -unfortunatelly he forgot the description of the photos... but I think it's Bodh Gaya)
No,
Bodh Gaya is the place of Enlightenment of Buddha
Lumbini is the place where the Buddha was born.

and this mail:

Dear Liudmila,
I read somewhere that a pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place as an act of devotion and faith. In Buddhism, faith or Saddha shouldn't be blind or based on wrong view. The confidence on the religion has to be professed based on understanding of that religion. A pilgrimage is also all about the mental aspect. The physical part is easily taken care by any travel company and would satisfy any normal tourist seeking the pleasure of sightseeing and enjoyment.In a pilgrimage however, the sight of holy shrines and the veneration or reverence of the pilgrims for them, do not arouse craving but wholesome mental states such as Right Thought, Right Speech and Right Action. I was lucky thus to be invited by a friend to join a Buddhist group on a pilgrimage to North India, visiting some of the important Buddhist sites there, most notably Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kusinara which form the four holy places of pilgrimage and Sarvvasthi, Rajgir and Vaishalli which together with Sankasia, are the four places of principal miracles. Do check out my travel blog and have a serving of a Buddhist pilgrimage at Travel Pangs!

Sarnath.The Dhamekha stupa is considered to be the sacred place where Buddha began to teach with the first discourse on the 'Wheel of Law'.The present size of the stupa is 31.3 m high and 28.3 m in diameter. (source)



Maya Devi, his mother, gave birth to the child on her way to her parent's home in Devadaha while taking rest in Lumbini under a sal tree in the month of May in the year 642 B.C. In 249 BC, when the Emperor Ashoka visited Lumbini constructed four stupas and a stone pillar with a figure of a horse on top. (source)